Comments on: See ya, Rick

By: metz123

metz123 — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 01:27:05 +0000

The biggest point I keep bringing up is that MLB is not a level playing field. Unlike the NBA & NFL with their salary caps and attempts to exert external forces on keeping a league competitive, MLB makes little attempt to balance out the haves & have nots. The luxury tax is a bad attempt at keeping salaries down across the league, not an attempt at balancing talent.

Teams that have the financial resources to spend more money should be the best teams in the league, period. The M’s have vast financial resources to spend. There should never be a pre season assessment that the M’s have assembled a squad that has the talent to win only 80 games. The M’s should always field a team that is competitive in the AL West and is in the wild card chase until the end of the year. The should have the talent to win 90 minimum games each year. Things may happen during the season, that prevents this from happening (major injuries) but they should never go into a season looking like a .500 club.

Failing to live up to that level of talent acquisition is the failure of the current front office. They continually squander their home field advantage ($$$$) by spending money ineffectively. That is their failure.

By: Evan

Evan — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 23:18:02 +0000

Billy Beane actually sounds like a bit of a prick, but he’s a GM I’d much rather have running my team, even though Bavasi’s a way more likeable a guy.

By: Jeff Nye

Jeff Nye — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 23:16:08 +0000

As much as people like to paint it that the authors (and to a lesser extent, posters) hold personal grudges against various M’s personnel, it’s not true, nor are we looking for them to fail.

Bill Bavasi seems to be a genuinely nice guy. He is very well-spoken, and has been generous enough to appear at USSM events even AFTER he has been ripped on this site. I genuinely wish he was better at his job, because he seems to be a good man.

Billy Beane, on the other hand, I know nothing about as a person, so I have no investment in him personally. But in general, his moves pan out better than Bavasi’s, and in the end that matters more than him being a nice guy.

By: kenshabby

kenshabby — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 23:00:09 +0000

Rick White, Mariners fans, M’s playoff hopes: all victims of wishful thinking.

By: scott19

scott19 — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 22:55:46 +0000

122: I have a feeling that Beane wishes he had Jeremy Bonderman back, too, as opposed to the alternatives of keeping Spicoli or winding up with about a half-season of Ted Lilly (his choice).

Interestingly, Lilly is the just the kind of guy that Bavasi would overpay for — though by comparison, Lilly looks like Tom Glavine circa 1995 next to HoRam.

By: bergamot

bergamot — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 22:50:45 +0000

122: I don’t know where you’re looking. At USSM, Beane has received criticism for some of his moves, but not very often since this isn’t an Oakland A’s site.

Bavasi receives credit for his infrequent good moves. That doesn’t obscure his demonstrably poor skills at player evaluation.

Beane and Bavasi have both made good and bad player acquisitions. Over several years, Beane consistently gets more talent at lower cost than Bavasi.

By: bermanator

bermanator — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 22:32:47 +0000

121 – I might argue that that’s because we’re more cynical.

For whatever reason, Beane seems to get all the credit for his good moves (which are excellent) but the poorer decisions don’t get mentioned. One of the central points of “Moneyball” is that he’s furious at the scouts for picking a HS pitcher and deals him the first chance he gets … and I bet he wishes he had Bonderman back right now. He tried to get Durazo forever, overpaid for him, and found out he wasn’t that good. Then there’s Jason Kendall. And Chavez.

By: Jeff Nye

Jeff Nye — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 22:19:15 +0000

Here’s the difference, though:

With Oakland, their bad moves are relatively isolated. You look at the Chavez contract and say “Wow, that’s not like Beane”.

When we something like the Vidro trade, we say, “That’s the Mariners for you.” There is a history of bad judgement that colors our perception, that isn’t there with Billy Beane.

He’s not perfect, but he’s done a very good job with much less resources available to him than the Mariners have.

By: scott19

scott19 — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 22:15:15 +0000

114: Re Eric Chavez, define irony. I was shocked a few years back when the A’s actually gave him a contract extension — something they don’t do very much these days. I guess Beane thought Chavez was enough of a stud to keep around as a team anchor…instead, it just seems like he’s gotten older and more hobbled-up.

If you’re one of their young guys, good luck ever getting another long-term extension out of Beane.

By: HamNasty

HamNasty — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 22:12:38 +0000

118- And thats NOT Bavasi’s fault?? Seems to me he is in charge of finding players to put on the field.