Gammons on Samardzija

[CubinNY]

So now the question becomes.....does anybody see this Sammy kid (can't spell his name, right now) dropping in the NFL draft, especially if he has a so-so yr? I think if Sammy wants to be a high 1st rd pick in the NFL, he has to put up the same type numbers he did last yr: 71 passes for 1,190 yards (16.8-yard average) and 15 touchdowns ... I could see teams "passing" on Sammy, if he don't put up similar numbers, due to his commitment to baseball. I could see Sammy dropping to the 3rd rd.

 

I know Sammy, is going to try and play both sports, but he truly does need to pick on sport and concentrate on it. Bo Jackson is the ONLY 2 sport athlete who was a superstar in both sports, and he suffererd a career ending injury. Deion Sanders sucked at baseball. Brian Jordan was solid in football, until he straight for baseball. John Lynch sucked at baseball, before becoming a superstar in NFL. Same with Ricky Williams. Drew Henson fell in the NFL draft, because of his baseball career. Chad Hutchingson sucked in two sports. Etc, etc...

 

Sammy needs to pick a sport for good after his senior yr at ND.

 

He's tall, has good hands, and runs good routs. I'm not so sure about his speed though.

 

I think a lot depends on what ND does this year and how often they get him the ball. But all the hype and PR ND generates here on the East Coast will likely increase his percieved value. Unless he gets hurt or starts dropping passes I don't see him slipping.

 

[stephan A Smith voice] Quite frankly, I think this was a wasted pick and wasted money. [/stephen A Smith voice]

 

Jack McKeon was known as "Trader Jack" when he was GM of the Reds. I think Hendry should be known as "Long Shot Jim"

[Ding Dong Johnson]

ok....so if he were to do a local car dealer ad in Boise or something, he'd be screwed.

 

Correct. Wait, do they have cars in Idaho?

[Banedon]

ok....so if he were to do a local car dealer ad in Boise or something, he'd be screwed.

 

Correct. Wait, do they have cars in Idaho?

 

There are a lot of course, but there is seriously a car dealership there, and it's a reasonable popular one, called "Fairly Reliable Bob's Used Cars".

Edited June 14, 2006 by Banedon

[Ding Dong Johnson]

I think Hendry should be known as "Long Shot Jim"

 

Replace "Long" with "Dumb" and one of the letters in "Shot", and I think you've got something.

[NorthsideAvenger]

I think Hendry should be known as "Long Shot Jim"

 

Replace "Long" with "Dumb" and one of the letters in "Shot", and I think you've got something.

 

:twisted: :lol:

[NorthsideAvenger]

So now the question becomes.....does anybody see this Sammy kid (can't spell his name, right now) dropping in the NFL draft, especially if he has a so-so yr? I think if Sammy wants to be a high 1st rd pick in the NFL, he has to put up the same type numbers he did last yr: 71 passes for 1,190 yards (16.8-yard average) and 15 touchdowns ... I could see teams "passing" on Sammy, if he don't put up similar numbers, due to his commitment to baseball. I could see Sammy dropping to the 3rd rd.

 

I know Sammy, is going to try and play both sports, but he truly does need to pick on sport and concentrate on it. Bo Jackson is the ONLY 2 sport athlete who was a superstar in both sports, and he suffererd a career ending injury. Deion Sanders sucked at baseball. Brian Jordan was solid in football, until he straight for baseball. John Lynch sucked at baseball, before becoming a superstar in NFL. Same with Ricky Williams. Drew Henson fell in the NFL draft, because of his baseball career. Chad Hutchingson sucked in two sports. Etc, etc...

 

Sammy needs to pick a sport for good after his senior yr at ND.

 

He's tall, has good hands, and runs good routs. I'm not so sure about his speed though.

 

I think a lot depends on what ND does this year and how often they get him the ball. But all the hype and PR ND generates here on the East Coast will likely increase his percieved value. Unless he gets hurt or starts dropping passes I don't see him slipping.

 

[stephan A Smith voice] Quite frankly, I think this was a wasted pick and wasted money. [/stephen A Smith voice]

 

Jack McKeon was known as "Trader Jack" when he was GM of the Reds. I think Hendry should be known as "Long Shot Jim"

 

To me at least, Sammy NEEDS to pick one sport. Football or baseball. There is an old saying, "if you try and chase two rabbits, you end up not catching either," some crap like that. In other words...pick a sport, and concentrate on it. I'm willing to bet that both the Raiders and the Royals were equally frustrated with Bo Jackson, and his indecision to pick one sport to excell at.

[CubinNY]

So now the question becomes.....does anybody see this Sammy kid (can't spell his name, right now) dropping in the NFL draft, especially if he has a so-so yr? I think if Sammy wants to be a high 1st rd pick in the NFL, he has to put up the same type numbers he did last yr: 71 passes for 1,190 yards (16.8-yard average) and 15 touchdowns ... I could see teams "passing" on Sammy, if he don't put up similar numbers, due to his commitment to baseball. I could see Sammy dropping to the 3rd rd.

 

I know Sammy, is going to try and play both sports, but he truly does need to pick on sport and concentrate on it. Bo Jackson is the ONLY 2 sport athlete who was a superstar in both sports, and he suffererd a career ending injury. Deion Sanders sucked at baseball. Brian Jordan was solid in football, until he straight for baseball. John Lynch sucked at baseball, before becoming a superstar in NFL. Same with Ricky Williams. Drew Henson fell in the NFL draft, because of his baseball career. Chad Hutchingson sucked in two sports. Etc, etc...

 

Sammy needs to pick a sport for good after his senior yr at ND.

 

He's tall, has good hands, and runs good routs. I'm not so sure about his speed though.

 

I think a lot depends on what ND does this year and how often they get him the ball. But all the hype and PR ND generates here on the East Coast will likely increase his percieved value. Unless he gets hurt or starts dropping passes I don't see him slipping.

 

[stephan A Smith voice] Quite frankly, I think this was a wasted pick and wasted money. [/stephen A Smith voice]

 

Jack McKeon was known as "Trader Jack" when he was GM of the Reds. I think Hendry should be known as "Long Shot Jim"

 

To me at least, Sammy NEEDS to pick one sport. Football or baseball. There is an old saying, "if you try and chase two rabbits, you end up not catching either," some crap like that. In other words...pick a sport, and concentrate on it. I'm willing to bet that both the Raiders and the Royals were equally frustrated with Bo Jackson, and his indecision to pick one sport to excell at.

 

Weiss is correct, there is no possible way for him to play two sports at the professional level. Football is the safest bet and most lucrative avenue.

 

I cannot be objective as I 1) Hate ND with a red hot passion that only those who grew up in "Michiana" can appreciate and 2) Love the Cubs with a red hot passion that not many outside of NSBB can appreciate. It would be a no brainer for me. I'd play baseball.

 

BTW, do you still live in Prattville AL? My wife is from there and her parents still live there.

[Shilzzz]

am i the only one who thinks this is purely a pr move?

[Derwood]

the overlap between the NFL and MLB has grown such that he couldn't play both at all anymore. NFL camps and preseason start with over 2 months left in the MLB season. An MLB team isn't going to let him stop playing in July, and an NFL team isn't going to let him show up for the first time for Game 6 of the schedule.

[woodchip2153]

 

Weiss is correct, there is no possible way for him to play two sports at the professional level. Football is the safest bet and most lucrative avenue.

 

I cannot be objective as I 1) Hate ND with a red hot passion that only those who grew up in "Michiana" can appreciate and 2) Love the Cubs with a red hot passion that not many outside of NSBB can appreciate. It would be a no brainer for me. I'd play baseball.

 

BTW, do you still live in Prattville AL? My wife is from there and her parents still live there.

 

He could get richer quicker with football, but he could potential earn more money with baseball.

 

Also, didn't he almost quit football before the season last year to concentrate on baseball? So it seems he might enjoy playing baseball more than football.

[Danny82]

(Feel free to move this topic, if you believe it doesn't belong here)

 

I know, it is Gammons, so take it with a grain of salt, but when they were talking about Samardzija on BBTN, Gammons "reported" the Cubs were close to signing, Sammy to a "reported" $8 million dollar major league contract :shock: , which instantly blew my mind. If THIS was true, then the Cubs are truly trying to convince Samardzija to give up football.

 

To which got me thinking....what would it take to get Samardzija to give up football for good?

 

Apparently $8m in guaranteed cash.

 

Yeowza!

 

Carson Palmer's signing bonus was $10m as the #1 overall pick in 2003. $8m would be one heck of a carrot.

 

Unfortunately for baseball plans, signing bonuses in the NFL are skyrocketing. The 20th pick, where some have Samardzija projected, got 6.7 million in guaranteed money last year (Marcus Spears). Mel Kiper has Samarzija as 7th on his big board. The Vikings selected a wide receiver in that spot in 2005, and T. Williamson got 13.3 million guaranteed. Both of these numbers should be sharply up with the 2007 draft, where I think the 20th pick will get well over 8 million guaranteed. The Cubs best hope is that the same thing that happened in the MLB draft happens in the NFL draft, and teams shy away from Samardzija because of his wanting to play two sports.

Kiper's board only includes seniors. He wouldn't be close to the top 10 when all the juniors come out. And Johnson is almost assured to come out and be a top 5 pick.

[SouthSideRyan]

am i the only one who thinks this is purely a pr move?

 

Seeing how I can't see any way this could be considered a pr move, yes.

[NorthsideAvenger]

 

Weiss is correct, there is no possible way for him to play two sports at the professional level. Football is the safest bet and most lucrative avenue.

 

I wouldn't say "football is the safest bet and most lucrative" necessarily.

To me...football is more riskier, and POTENTIALLY more lucrative. But the downside...the average length of a football career is like 3-4 yrs. And a kid with his FASTBALL can last in baseball triple that. Ultimately the contract is BASEBALL is guarantee, football is guarantee only till the team wants to move. I say he would make more money in baseball then football. And he was stay healthy.

 

I cannot be objective as I 1) Hate ND with a red hot passion that only those who grew up in "Michiana" can appreciate and 2) Love the Cubs with a red hot passion that not many outside of NSBB can appreciate. It would be a no brainer for me. I'd play baseball.

 

I can appreciate that, cause Auburn is my "Notre Dame." I am a huge Alabama fan. As you might notice. And I agree, I would go baseball over football, for the pure reason that he can play baseball longer then football.

 

BTW, do you still live in Prattville AL? My wife is from there and her parents still live there.

 

Yeah, I do. I live on Highway 31, on the backway to Mongtomery heading into Maxwell AFB. Why?

[Ding Dong Johnson]

am i the only one who thinks this is purely a pr move?

 

That's quite likely.

 

Edit -- in reference to you being the only one who thinks that.

[CoolHandLuke]

When comparing the chances of success in Football/Baseball you must also remember how slim the chances of actually amounting to anything is for pitching prospects. Most likely whatever he gets as his original contract/signing bonus is what he will make, because of either never developing, getting injured, etc...

 

A much larger portion of football prospects amount to something and at least get one free agent contract. (I don't actually know this but it seems logical)

 

 

I think either way he will make enough money off whatever signing bonus he gets to last a lifetime (as long as he is smart with it) and he will therefore probably chose whatever sport he enjoys more.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

IMO, this is Brownlie part deux

 

How are they anything alike other than getting big signing bonuses? Brownlie was coming off of injuries that he never really bounced back from.

 

Big signing bonuses that won't be lived up to. I'm not that impressed with Samardzija, he doesn't have great velocity, and he didn't have very good numbers either of the last two years. I guess I don't see why he was even a projected top 20 pick.

 

He's been in the 92-96 most of the season and has topped out at 99 multiple times this past season. He's projected as a top 20 pick because of his fastball velo and his ceiling, which he obviously came nowhere near since he spent so little time on baseball.

 

Huh, I remembered wrong about the fastball, that's good news. Either way though, I'm not very optimistic about giving him 8 million dollars when he can't get out college hitters.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

IMO, this is Brownlie part deux

 

How are they anything alike other than getting big signing bonuses? Brownlie was coming off of injuries that he never really bounced back from.

 

Big signing bonuses that won't be lived up to. I'm not that impressed with Samardzija, he doesn't have great velocity, and he didn't have very good numbers either of the last two years. I guess I don't see why he was even a projected top 20 pick.

 

He's been in the 92-96 most of the season and has topped out at 99 multiple times this past season. He's projected as a top 20 pick because of his fastball velo and his ceiling, which he obviously came nowhere near since he spent so little time on baseball.

 

Huh, I remembered wrong about the fastball, that's good news. Either way though, I'm not very optimistic about giving him 8 million dollars when he can't get out college hitters.

 

At the draft, it was reported that he was actually throwing around 88 mph regularly, but further reading of scouting reports and such have shown that he was throwing like that his sophomore year and has added mph this year.

 

The reason ND coaches and BA gave for his struggling this year was that he scrapped his curve for a slider which is still a work-in-progress but should in the long run be a much better out pitch.

Edited June 14, 2006 by CaliforniaRaisin

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Question: Can the Cubs give a 5th-rounder that kind of bonus or contract? Would MLB step in to block out-of-slot money?

 

From what I've read, MLB can pressure the Cubs but can't block it completely. I cannot confirm this, and with the Cubs and Jeff's advisor being so sure they can get this hammered out on Thurs or Fri, it doesn't look like the MLB will be much of a problem.

[1908]

Question: Can the Cubs give a 5th-rounder that kind of bonus or contract? Would MLB step in to block out-of-slot money?

 

From what I've read, MLB can pressure the Cubs but can't block it completely.

Yep, MLB can make their feelings on the matter clear, but that's all they can do. Both EPatt and Grant Johnson were signed to contracts well above slot money, for example.

[1908]

Either way though, I'm not very optimistic about giving him 8 million dollars when he can't get out college hitters.

I won't be happy if the $8M is guaranteed, but college statistics have very limited predictive value.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Either way though, I'm not very optimistic about giving him 8 million dollars when he can't get out college hitters.

I won't be happy if the $8M is guaranteed, but college statistics have very limited predictive value.

 

Well, I'm not trying to project his major league career based off of it, but the guy isn't striking out many guys, giving up a lot of hits, and has a poor K/BB, and at the college level against a schedule that isn't extremely difficult. I understand that good college performance isn't a guarantee to carry over to professional baseball, but how is a mediocre college performer supposed to become a good major leaguer? The only thing I can think of is some correctable flaw, which means they're gambling 8 million that they can fix him. Not a good situation IMO.

[TruffleShuffle]

Question: Can the Cubs give a 5th-rounder that kind of bonus or contract? Would MLB step in to block out-of-slot money?

 

From what I've read, MLB can pressure the Cubs but can't block it completely.

Yep, MLB can make their feelings on the matter clear, but that's all they can do. Both EPatt and Grant Johnson were signed to contracts well above slot money, for example.

 

It's one thing to offer an 8th round pick like E-Patt 3rd round money... it's another to offer a 5th round pick more money than any other player in the draft.

[Andy]

I want Samardzija to play baseball. He won't get drafted by Carolina next year anyway, so his post-ND football career really wouldn't mean that much.

 

That said, 8M? Ridiculous.

[NewUserName]

I am not questioning this kids motives or anything, but isnt it obvious that he is going to play one sport against the other. (I dont blame him I would too) This is a game for the Yankees and Red Sox to play. Cubs would be better off staying out.

 

 

By the way I thought College players could have off-season jobs, just not during the season there sport is in? I am pretty sure that I know of some Uof I athletes that have had jobs locally around Chambana.

[1908]

Either way though, I'm not very optimistic about giving him 8 million dollars when he can't get out college hitters.

I won't be happy if the $8M is guaranteed, but college statistics have very limited predictive value.

 

Well, I'm not trying to project his major league career based off of it, but the guy isn't striking out many guys, giving up a lot of hits, and has a poor K/BB, and at the college level against a schedule that isn't extremely difficult. I understand that good college performance isn't a guarantee to carry over to professional baseball, but how is a mediocre college performer supposed to become a good major leaguer? The only thing I can think of is some correctable flaw, which means they're gambling 8 million that they can fix him. Not a good situation IMO.

C'mon, you know the further the level of play gets away from MLB, the less useful stats become. I take anything under AA with a grain of salt, and college stats are just too far away to support your point.