KingKongvs.Godzilla

LeMahieu actually has 5 walks in 11 games now. Probably just a fluke, but good to see nonetheless. He had some decent walk totals in college, so there's further hope.

Throw some weight on him and I like him alot. Still not a QB I would fall over myself to draft...there's one of those in the college game right now and he's not going to be a Raider.

Well, you're ignoring Landry Jones this year and Tyler Bray and Aaron Murray next year. Whether or not Palmer was elite a few years ago matters not now. The Raiders aren't getting Palmer from his heyday and even if they captured lightning in a bottle with him, they significantly overpaid. Landry Jones isn't going to do dick in the NFL Meh on the other two also. I know other QB prospects exist....it's just that they suck. Whether Palmer was elite a few years ago does matter...many consider his last season terrible mainly because of who he was, since the raw numbers are not as bad as painted...So relative to elite Palmer he sucks...relative to most NFL QBs young and old he isnt a bad guy to go after...I'd personally bet on him being throwing up a good season over hoping some kid named Tyler gets drafted and doesn't suck. If the Raiders were surprisng people with Jason Campbell at QB I think Palmer might have a shot. No reason Palmer can't be a Kerry Collins type except that he's a better QB than Collins, who did alright for himself as an old retread type.

140 pages since I was told that Theo Epstein would be coming to the Cubs. Jeebus...at least there's time before FA.

2009 being Campbell's best/most productive season by far and first above average one. I say this as someone who actually likes Jason Campbell...

Known by most sport fans since forever.

He wasn't bad...He was mid-level...even going as high as 10th in DYAR on FO...18th in DVOA...along with 26 TDs and completed 61% of his passes...not exactly crapping the bed here...and he was working with a mediocre franchise filled with mediocre/aging players on offense...their big non-QB playmaker last year was whoever you pick between Cedric Benson or TO. My only problem is that the Raiders paid a good price on someone they arguably could have bought low on...Otherwise I think this is a really smart move for them. They're not in the Luck hunt this year, and after Luck (and maybe Barkley) the college QB situation over the next couple of years is pretty crappy. They get a former elite QB talent who is now an angry vet with the proverbial chip on his shoulder...Keep in mind that the last QB to do anything significant with the Raiders was a 34+ year old retread....and that this is a team that was surprising people with Jason Campbell at QB.

Yeah, when the QB is still good, and not 32. 32 is not old. This is especially true considering the modern NFL rulebook is actually titled "How to Maximize Offense and Make Sure QBs Don't Get Touched." And while Carson Palmer isn't Carson Palmer 2005, he's still a pretty good and talented QB. The Bengals are just kind of a joke...

I think most teams would go with him in the 2 hole. He's not a true leadoff guy, but a damn near perfect #2 hitter.

That's alot to give up, but if there's a position you do that for it's QB...I've always been a Palmer fan anyway, and I think he could have alot of success out there in Oakland with that young pass catching group.

Wow those primetime games suck. I bet the Colts are scripted to play surprisingly well. Jets get shocked by the 4-1 Chargerss

Can you tell me which of the seven starters he's going to displace? He'll find a place in their pen. I'm not a big Archer fan, but I do think his fastball/breaking ball combo can be really good out of the pen. He walks too many guys anyway...and it's never really gone away.

From the name I'd guess he works in a nuclear power plant as a safety inspector in sector 7G.

Good to see Trey Martin have a nice day going 2-4 with 2 RBIs.

That Robble Robble Gimme post is hilarious. Once again I'm going to say the magic words to make this deal hurry up: This Theo Epstein to the Cubs sounds alot like Billy Beane to the Red Sox. Expect it done tomorrow.

Lake and LeMahieu walk on the same day? From now on October 17th will be known as Lake and LeMahieu Took a Walk in the Same Game Day.

Depends on the athlete...there's different ways of being described as athletic...different body types (I'm not a scientist and I have done 0 studies, but intuitively I think body type is a big deal)...different lifestyles...different forms of training...Though generally speaking I have trouble buying that being a better athlete wouldn't help durability.

No doubt...the A's were doing mechanical analysis with Rick Peterson in the early 2000's maybe even as early as the 90's....the Cubs are no doubt playing catch up, but the thing is that there's so many ways to find players that I don't believe anyone is so far ahead of the curve.

In the SI piece, Epstein did say that keeping pitchers healthy was the current "market inefficiency" he was trying to exploit. It's also something both the Rays and Rangers have done alot of work in. You'll notice how slowly both of those franchises bring along their young pitches (except Price, who was an extremely special case/talent), and the Rangers have spouted that pitchers today don't throw enough since Ryan took over. Then you can't help but notice that all three of those teams absolutely love athleticism...If you talk to non-baseball fans the one thing they'll go after after they attack the length of a baseball game is that baseball players are fat and unathletic. Maybe in the steroid era that was true, but now we're going back to guys who can move and move well (and all over the place). I think those teams...particularly the Rays, who've hunted the best athletes they can find since their inception, have jumped on the idea of helping athletes develop into baseball players...the advantages being that better athletes will (hopefully) lead to...well obviously more general upside...but better durability, health, on field versatility, contact ability, hopefully better D...the things you'd expect from someone who is a top notch athlete for their sport. It's probably one of the most interesting things about the sport since the early 2000's statseads vs. scouts debates...Now it's about working together to figure what works best, why, and how to make it happen. It's [expletive] awesome, and it's an aspect I'd like to see whoever the new GM is, Theo or otherwise, make a specific area of study. The funny thing is that the Cubs could have been one of these teams in the last decade...had they been more successful in the pursuit of Furcal...maybe signed Beltran instead of Soriano...maybe kept a potentially truly elite rotation together and healthy...or at least the main stars healthy...God we were such an archaic organization under Hendry. The thing is that he was smart enough to show some interesting concepts without any kind of real analysis...had he just taken the next [expletive] step this franchise could have been at the forefront of the MLB....[expletive] a.

Caldwell sucks as a HC. I thought he was the MVP for the Jets in last year's playoff victory over the Colts. I can't remember exactly what it was he did though...I just remember at the time I thought "wow, this guy just handed Los Yets the game"...must have been something since I usually hate the whole "lets lay everything bad on the coaches" thing that gets done in football analysis.

Mike R. the medical guy sounds cool. IMO quantifying athleticism (scouting aspects) and health factors is Da Futcha, and my guess that's some of what his work involves. The Red Sox like good athletes who happen to specialize in baseball...same for the Rays, Rangers, and Blue Jays...I think it's something I'd like the Cubs to be known for.

My only comparison there was that they were both guys who came up in the Mariners system without much power and developed power later in their careers. It wasn't meant to be any deeper than that. Morse at least has a big frame and waaaaaay better athleticism than Lahair that could serve as decent explanation. LaHair's a big dude too, but not much of an athlete. Morse was once a SS iirc.

Beliveau is someone I want to see. The team has alot of good left handed pen arms...Marshall, Russell, Beliveau, and Gaub all have good arms for pen lefties.

You're not someone I should expect much from in any future discussions, are' you? One of the board cool guys I guess... Dew, I will possibly get back to that later. Not sure what else there is for me to say considering you're comparing the guy to two completely different players from him and each other and you seem absolutely convinced that patience is the only skill that translates when you get older. Not much I can do to help that really, but I guess I can give it more shots.

We should definitely have t-shirts made. We just need a catchy slogan. Tss. Root fa Lake or jump in a river or ocean or somethin. boy with comedy like this i am just stunned that you don't get community and parks and rec. No one cares about your stupid TV show brochachmigo. Sorry I dishonored it. Get over it. It's not going to make the show any better. The joke is a reference to a great character named Chip Chipperson: