Ding Dong Johnson

Just a side note: The A's are last in the AL in OBP. Kinda interesting. Actually, Beane's researchers have discovered that OBP is actually overvalued in the market today and that speed and young pithing is undervalued. Why'd they let Freddie Bynum go?

Whatever happens, they might want to get serious about a package. The Dodgers have a lot of young talent that they're probably going to part with, and I'd hate to miss the boat on all of them.

What the heck is this thread really about? Nothing?

Probably right. What else could we add? Think aloud, please. Walker? They've got Ramon Martinez playing 2B with Kent on the DL. Ohman? Beimel is the only lefty in their pen with Perez out the door. Nevin? As insurance on Nomar and a RH power bat for the bench. I'm going to pretend that I did not just look up to see how Ramon has been doing this year and see a 377 OBP.

I believe it was sportsline.com, but there was a blurb about Hendry downplaying reports the club was going to bring him back. Where were these reports?

If the Cubs win each series and sweep the 2 Pirate series then Sept 11th. 72-72 Gooney, that's not necessarily true and that depends on your defintion of a good trade is too. If you're thinking a AROD blockbuster then your right. If you're thinking seling off perceievd low end pieces for a greater value to rebild the farm system then July 31st is just a date. I'll be darned. I had the 2nd marked on my calendar for some reason.

I love it when you speak nonsensical to me.

More like an A's fan moving to LA. What about an Angels fan moving to San Diego?

So, when do we hit .500?

I hate it when they don't say how much...

Actually, Karl Ravech and his visible lack of patience with the others on the show is the best part of the show. Dang, I didn't know Karl still did the show. I've tuned in twice this season and some other doofus was hosting both times. I thought Karl finally had enough and got a real job.

Who cares?

I actually like the idea of holding out for something significant, even though he's not really worth much. Teams get stupid when going after name pitchers. You never know. well, yeah, hold out as long as you can. but if he's left to rot on the cubs' roster 8/1 because hendry couldn't get a top of the line prospect for him, i'm going to be kinda upset. if the cubs were in the dodgers position and they traded murton (who is half the prospect ethier is) for a guy like maddux, i'd be irate. i can't get too excited for the cubs being in sell mode for the first time in a while anyway because of how hendry and co. judge prospects and draft picks. i'm not getting my hopes up. Sort of contradictory: you don't trust Hendry to do the right thing in evaluating other teams' talent (a legit criticisim, IMO). But now Hendry is apparently willing to do the right thing and go after a good one, but you are killing him for shooting too high. Can't have it both ways, no? no, it's not contradictory. i don't think it's worth the risk of holding out for a top prospect because a) i doubt maddux will net a top prospect and b) i doubt i'll think much of hendry's idea of a top prospect anyway. now, if he's really after ethier, then i'll give him some credit (as far as talent evaluation), though i'm not 100% convinced that's the case. OK, but if he is in fact after Ethier (as is being reported) and is holding out in an attempt to get him, wouldn't that be a good thing? How can you criticize him for that? I think the fear is holding out for Babe Ruth when we could have gotten Andre Dawson and ending up with neither.

he is a lefty. maybe he'll be the next dontrelle willis except this time around for the cubs. colvin seems to have adjusted to wooden bats quite quickly btw. I don't mind if he becomes the next Dontrelle in Florida as long as Cabrera is the prize.

In 2004 and 2005, it wasn't his offense either. At the risk of sounding like a "stats geek", Walker was better those years. Soriano's OPS+ was 98 and 110 while Walker was at 105 and 115. You've already conceded the defense, there's proof of the offense. What else is there? Soriano's making $10M because he's been vastly overrated through the years. He can steal bases and hit homeruns and not much else.

Anything more than just a substitution?

I actually like the idea of holding out for something significant, even though he's not really worth much. Teams get stupid when going after name pitchers. You never know. I wish they would have tried that with Williamson. His value wasn't too terribly high, but I think we could have gotten more closer to the deadline.

That's nice rahrah stuff for the kids, but it doesn't hold up to life in the real world, or for guys playing 162 games a year. Outside forces can affect attitude/effort quite frequently, no matter how tough you talk. How tough I talk? Didn't realize that was "tough talk". Thanks for the laugh. It does hold up in the real world as well. All I am saying is at the end of the day, the individual is responsible for the amount of effort they give. They are also responsible for the attitude. Its not just a baseball thing. It's also not a black and white thing -- there is a lot of gray.

Don't give Jimmy too much credit. I have a feeling they're asking for Ethier because everyone knows who he is now, not because of what he's actually done.

Donnie may be OK if he keeps it up.

Rumor has it that he walked off the set right after that argument (your memory is correct, it was over A-Rod) -- they cut to commercial, came back and he was gone. Who was arguing which point? IIRC, Harold was saying A-Rod would never be as good as he could be in New York and that the Yankees should trade him. Kruk was saying that A-Rod should get tougher and deal with the pressure. No doubt Kruk's reasoning contained a lot of clicks, grunts, and flatulence.

Fred, I need me some stats. I heard a blurb on the radio about Zambrano at the plate over the last month or whatever. Something like a 286 BA with 3 dongs. Put him in the 5 spot.

Let's let it sink in. And that last sentence in what I quoted makes zero sense given what we've seen time and time again when someone seemingly dares to even think of mentioning the White Sox on this board. And having Mabry in your sig, under the reasoning you gave us, is ridiculous. Career-wise, Mabry has been a very solid bench player. He only got additional playing time when Lee was injured...other than that, we've seen him about as much as you'd expect to see a pinch hitter or guy subbing for someone hurt/have a day off. Pagan is infinitely more deserving to be up there with the time he's robbed Murton of thus far, thought neither he nor Mabry are even close to Neifi/Rusch-esque levels. If you have ever read Moneyball, you have more than enough reason to hate John Mabry. The guy is a dick. You hate people because of Moneyball?

Yes. Crap, you beat me to it.

I value stats as much as the next guy, and I also typically watch hundreds of games every year at all levels. I do not put a lot of stock in defensive metrics. Watching players and their reads, lines, quickness, etc all give a better idea of their value on defense. Outfield assists do not tell me how strong or accurate a player's arm is. Stolen bases do not always give an accurate representation of a players speed. Stats typically cannot show where corrections can be made to improve aspects of a players game. There are plenty more, I'm sure.