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davearm2

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Everything posted by davearm2

  1. davearm2
    Well said. I can't even recall the last time a color guy offered some insightful commentary that made me sit back and think, wow, I didn't realize that. Mostly it's cliches, regurgitated groupthink, and mimimally interesting decades-old anecdotes from their playing days. Santo is as bad as any of them in all of the above areas, but what he does add is authentic, genuine emotion. Hughes does a wonderful job of describing what you'd see and hear if you were there, while Santo conveys how you'd feel if you were there. Great combo.
  2. davearm2
    I believe it is because there is an age limit of 23 which means many stars can't take part. Since when do the Olympics impose an age limit in any sport? I seem to recall there might be a minimum of 14 or 15 (comes up every once in a while in gymnastics, IIRC), but a maximum? Never heard of such a thing.
  3. davearm2
    Are you legitimately making this argument? First things first, what SSR said. Second, BP's fielding metrics are garbage. Third, before Ichiro's arrival, Manny Ramirez had 6 consecutive full seasons, SIX, that were as good or significantly better than Ichiro's best season. I won't argue BP's fielding metrics are garbage, but you had better be using something to account for defense. And with defense included in the equation, I have an extremely hard time believing the bolded is true. Ichiro can hit like crazy, albeit with little power or patience, while playing fantastic defense and making a significant impact on the bases. Ramirez can hit like crazy, with tons of power and patience, but plays comical defense and has no redeeming baserunning skills. You find a good way to roll everything that matters together, and I'm betting your conclusion will crumble. BP's metrics would have to be crazy-bad if they show Ichiro significantly better than Ramirez if in reality the opposite is true.
  4. davearm2
    What about Boston having kids like Bucholz (can't spell his name worth a crap) Lester, and perhaps even Lester in the rotation? Or how the Yankees with Kennedy and Hughes? I'm not comparing the quality of young pitchers the Cubs have to what the Red Sox/Yankees have, but those teams were/are prepare to go with young, unproven pitchers in the rotation. Now, I admit it's been semi-decent with the Red Sox with Lester working out, but Masterson and Bucholz being hit and miss. And so far it'shasn't work for the Yankees, but that doesn't mean their young pitchers still won't developed. So just because a team is a "high-payroll championship contender" doesn't mean they won't take a shot at having cheaper options in the rotation. IMO, Kennedy and Hughes will work out for the Yankees, and Bucholz will work out for the Red Sox in their rotations. I don't buy your argument, because IMO it's dated. You can't simply ignore the fact that Buchholz, Lester, "even Lester"(Hansen? Masterson?), Hughes, and Kennedy are worlds better than Veal and Samardzija. It's the whole point. Just to piggyback on this point... I'm sure many of the same folks that were clamoring for Gallagher to get a spot in this year's rotation would cringe at the notion of Veal or Samardzija in next year's rotation.
  5. davearm2
    I'd have to agree. Any argument that includes Veal and Samardzija as notable reasons why a proven, productive starter like Dempster is not needed back is an awfully dubious one IMO. The Cubs need to come back with a minimum of 6, and probably 7 from amongst: Zambrano Harden Dempster Lilly Marshall Hill Gaudin Marquis And ideally Marquis (and his salary) is the odd man out of that equation. Guys like Hart, Veal, Samardzija, and Atkins can duke it out for the emergency/swing starter role, and spend some time riding the CHI-DSM shuttlebus like Marshall has.
  6. davearm2
    I'm very anxious now to see Marquis traded, although not for the reason most people have. I think he's done just fine in his role, and lots of teams have worse guys at the back of their rotation (probably most teams). But obtaining Harden and Gaudin makes it that much more important to shed Marquis' salary for '09. Money figures to be tight with all of the raises built into existing multiyear contracts, plus a handful of arb guys, plus guys like Wood and Dempster requiring significant raises to retain. Marquis' $10M is absolutely better spent elsewhere, and thus must be shed. I'd be all for making the deal right now, if there's interest.
  7. davearm2
    The reason for the M's to negotiate in good faith now is that the DBacks could just go get a replacement from somebody else between now and the end of July. That potentially leaves the M's holding the bag... or at a minimum selling to a smaller pool of interested teams. Seeing the Indians and A's finding deals to their liking, and taking them without any further messing around has been quite refreshing, especially on the heels of the Santana and Roberts fiascos.
  8. davearm2
    Very interesting take Vance.
  9. davearm2
    He's anywhere from aloof to a jerk around fans and the media, and does the bare minimum to appease both. He has a reputation for being soft with injuries. He also has a reputation for having his own agenda as far as when and how long he pitches, which, combined with his pitch count issues, leads to many frustratingly early exits.
  10. davearm2
    STL vs. RHP: .276/.348/.426/.774 (2031 AB) STL vs. LHP: .270/.356/.416 /.772 (902 AB)
  11. davearm2
    STL's rotation is all RHP, so Reed Johnson likely isn't starting in the series. So maybe the Cubs wait to activate Johnson until after Marshall's start, on the theory that after that start they'll be in a better position to decide the odd man out of the rotation. That in turn influences which BP arm goes back to Iowa. So: Friday: activate Zambrano; Murton or Patterson to Iowa. after Marshall starts Sat or Sun: activate Johnson; Cotts or Ascanio (or maybe even Gallagher) to Iowa (Cotts if Marshall to BP, RHP if Marshall sticks in rotation).
  12. davearm2
    This then becomes a no-brainer. You trade away 3 top prospects to get Sabathia. I would hand the NL pennant over to the Cubs now if this happened. Then you either lose Sabathia after the season and have 3 1st round picks in 2009 to replenish the prospects you lost or you sign Sabathia to a long term contract and have arguably the best 1-2 punch in baseball for the next four seasons. Agreed. Get Sabathia here and go for it in '08, then just wait and see how things shake out over the winter. Either Sabathia comes back on a whopper contract (which is mighty frightening, I might add), or you've got some nice draft picks to fall back on. Incidentally, if Sabathia lands in Milwaukee instead, the Brewers could conceivably have 5 picks in the top 30-something next June... their own first-rounder, plus 2 for Sheets, plus 2 more for Sabathia. Yikes.
  13. davearm2
    That would be one hell of a starting rotation...I don't know if Hendry can get it done. He would have to empty out the entire minor leagues, but I'm crossing my fingers that he can make it happen. It'd be even better without Maddux, IMO.
  14. davearm2
    I have no idea where the notion that KC would give Meche away cheaply is coming from. Since they signed him, he's given them basically exactly what they hoped he would... he's made all his starts, eaten innings, and put up an ERA in the 4.00 range with good peripherals. He's the steady veteran in a young and inexperienced rotation. I'd say you'd have to come with a serious package just to get KC's attention. The guy's pretty valuable for where they are right now.
  15. davearm2
    It's really crazy how fixated everyone is on Lou's quick hook with young guys. He's got a quick hook with *all* guys. If you make mistakes and/or stink, you're not going to play. Izturis Barrett K Hill Bowen Trachsel Craig Monroe Pagan Wade Miller Ohman That list is just as long as Pie, Murton, Patterson, etc.
  16. davearm2
    Let's look at the facts. Barry performed admirably in 2007. Barry is healthy. Barry has been offered at the minimum salary and Barry's trial date is in March of 2009, so there would be no interruption of the 2008 season. [b]It defies explanation as to why he is not employed in 2008 with a major league club[/b]. Seriously? The only person on the face of the earth that can't come up with a plausible explanation for why nobody would want this guy at any price just so happens to be his agent? What are the odds?
  17. davearm2
    Erik Bedard was right in the thick of the Cy Young race last year, until the O's decided to shut him down in September with something fairly minor (strained oblique or something). I can certainly understand why some of these other guys might be preferrable, but to suggest Bedard wouldn't be amongst the Cubs' 3 best starters is pretty loony, IMO.
  18. davearm2
    Might become? This is Dunn's 8th season in the big leagues. I don't think Ricardi felt the need to rip Dunn for not having a passion for baseball because at some point in the future, the guy who has been in the big leagues for 8 years and on some pretty crappy teams might begin to set a poor example for younger players. If Ricardi thought that was an issue, he probably would've said it. Nowhere did he say that Dunn didn't prepare for games properly or wasn't a good teammate. All he said was that he lacked passion. It seems clear that Ricciardi had more to say on this topic, but suddenly showed enough sense to shut his piehole (reference his final comment about not wanting to get into specifics or whatever). Regardless, if Ricciardi felt that Dunn's lacking passion for baseball was a nonissue, like you're making it out to be, then this whole exchange would've never happened. Perhaps you're right, and it truly is a nonissue. Obviously Ricciardi disagrees.
  19. davearm2
    But this doesn't have anything to do with those intangibles. Dunn was criticized for his lack of passion for the game. I've never heard anyone suggest that such a characteristic actually hurts what a player does or hurts those around him. Having a lack of passion isn't the same as being a clubhouse cancer or not getting along with anyone else. At most, it would prevent him from being even better. Since Dunn has a long track record in the majors, everyone should know what to expect from him. A lack of passion doesn't change what he actually does on the field. It makes no sense. You might find the blurb below eye opening. Would you say it's fair to be concerned that a guy you believe lacks passion for baseball might become the type of minimal-effort, negative influence that these coaches allege Sexson and Beltre and Bedard have become in Seattle? I sure think that's a fair concern.
  20. davearm2
    Well this really shifts the focus to the value of intangibles, and whether all .900 OPS hitters are created equal. Many ascribe to the notion that not everything that counts, can be counted. Apparently Ricciardi is one. What intangible? The only thing I can think of is that his lack of passion would somehow make everyone around him worse, which is an idea that probably doesn't need to be given a second thought. A home run is a home run, a walk is a walk, and a strikeout is a strikeout regardless of the player's enjoyment while doing it. The value of intangibles like character, attitude, desire, chemistry and so on and so forth has been debated forever. We're not going to put an end that debate in this thread. Regardless of whether they should or shouldn't, obviously the Jays think those things do matter, and their evaluation indicates Dunn is lacking in some of those areas.
  21. davearm2
    Well this really shifts the focus to the value of intangibles, and whether all .900 OPS hitters are created equal. Many ascribe to the notion that not everything that counts, can be counted. Apparently Ricciardi is one.
  22. davearm2
    Let me be clear that Ricciardi never should have said what he did. But speaking strictly on the issue of Dunn's passion for the game, we'd all be wise to realize that Ricciardi and the Jays' FO knows way more than any of us do about stuff like this. The Jays have a whole staff of folks (scouts, coaches, etc) spread throughout baseball standing next to batting cages, hanging around clubhouses, and chatting in hotel bars, whose collective job is to gather just this sort of information on players. I'd say Ricciardi and the Jays' FO know a whole lot more about Adam Dunn than any of us do, so if he/they question the guy's drive, I'm inclined to think there's something to it. What seems to be getting lost because Ricciardi shouldn't have said what he said here is, what he said is probably accurate. Without hearing his comments, I suspect that's what Gottlieb is talking about here.
  23. davearm2
    That's a mighty strong response for a guy that doesn't care.
  24. davearm2
    Sure enough! Thanks for the correction.
  25. davearm2
    More likely: LF: Murton/Hoffpauir CF: Johnson/Edmonds
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