treebird

i reserve the right to change teams if this happens.

i have been plugging cj edwards as a late august call-up and fun bullpen arm in sept/oct for a while now, so i suppose i should just keep going with that. i'll also throw shade at hendricks (out of the rotation by all-star break) and well-wishes at russell (crushes aaa, majors by all-star break).

that pass from cahill on the goal was outstanding.

cubinok has a dummy account

baez is going to be a really fun guy to watch this spring. you would think that as long as we didn't break him trying to change his swing in winter ball, crappy spring training guys ought to be exactly who he crushes. it would be an encouraging sign in regards to how our front office evaluates spring training performance if he hit .315 with five hr and went to iowa anyway because they could see through it and know that nothing had changed. (not to say that i am rooting for this, i just think that baez crushing crap pitchers and getting embarrassed by the rest in spring training is a very likely scenario)

i really enjoyed at&t the few times i went, but one time i went to a cubs-giants game there and people were crazy excited about the opportunity to yell at someone wearing a cubs jersey. one guy outside the stadium started screaming at me about how dusty baker was the only good thing that ever happened to the cubs and how stupid they were for letting him go (this was in 2010, too, so it wasn't some topical thing to bring up). after the game (which was really tense because the giants had a guy thrown out at home in extra innings), all the giant fans were JUBILANT and super excited to give me [expletive]. one drunk guy grabbed my shoulder and turned me around so he could tell me about how my team was cursed. oakland's park is kind of a hole, but i always had a better time there.

this is unquestionably my favorite pro-javi argument. i don't necessarily buy it wholeheartedly, but it is the one i hear in my head when i want to say his baseline is jose valentin (minus some walks plus some avg) and his upside is a bizarre low contact/extreme power/excellent middle infield defense monster the likes of which we have never seen.

I'm not comparing them as similar players, damnit. Only saying that if a player as "advanced" as Rizzo took 3 years of major league experience to "get it" then people are stupid for expecting someone with Javy's limitations to make big improvements within 2 months. You can say this for just about every 21 year old not named Mike Trout. Rizzo's obviously the most convenient since people know his history and don't have to go look up and disect someone else's fangraphs page to understand the point. Go use Carlos Gomes or something if it makes you more comfortable. The bigger point is that it's probably going to take a few years for him unless we're lucky, but I'd bet on him getting there. Maybe it does make sense to trade him if you're trying to maximize wins now, but I'd really prefer using him to get another primeish position player that becomes available as opposed to an older pitcher. Donaldson would've been perfect. baez struck out in 30 percent of his pa in aaa. that's really, really, really bad. in rizzo's horrible disaster padres stint,* he struck out in 30.1 percent of his pa. add in that rizzo is a magic mashing machine that somehow strikes out less against better pitchers and these guys just aren't comparable at all. baez could turn things around, but he has a lot more work to do than the guys to whom you are comparing him. also, you can't use baez to get a prime position player because everybody knows about the strikeouts. *which i thank the nonexistent lord for every day because it's the only reason got him

this imaginary scenario doesn't make him a better prospect.

that is great to hear. it would be cool to have a real commissioner that does real helpful things for the game.

at this point it's a much safer bet to just assume they'll be great forever. one season under .500 since 2000.

petition to change thread title to little league chumps

the kids still got to be famous and destroy everyone and have the most fun in the world. i also don't think there's going to be any major stigma down the road either ("i'm sorry, we didn't realize you were on that cheating baseball team when you were 12, we're going to have to revoke your medical license now"). i think it's a fair trade-off for the kids.

people on twitter are saying 4 years at 72-76 total with a club option for a fifth year. no one legit seems to be confirming any more than a four year deal, though. this is a good enough deal that i am happy the cubs passed.

i bet he means christian grey

that is to say the thread was having fun and wanted to have more fun in a new and consensual way

if the contract is 3/63 or something i reserve the right to return to hardcore ptr mode

http://i.imgur.com/iEhmENa.jpg

on bryant

bird in the hand is like a man in the sand

luther is the one who figured what it meant when the big guy put his butt in the air in the pioneer bowl, he deserves the glory

coach taylor

kaplan might be the most connected reporter out there

very exciting, watch this thread for updates on all of jim's appearances http://awfulannouncing.com/2015/jim-edmonds-josh-hamilton-will-taking-new-tv-roles.html

he was a great man and then the conan thing happened and now he is the greatest man