Why I Don’t Care About Steroids in Baseball
As usual, it was my fault. I see that now.
While talking with a friend at a recent fiesta, the topic rolled around to steroids in baseball. He knew about my status as a world famous baseball blogger, and wanted my take.
With the imprecision engendered by parties, the following careful and nuanced statement emerged from my mouth: “I can sum up my feelings on the issue in six words,” I told my pal. “Don’t care, don’t care, don’t care.” Read more
Seanez signs with Sox
Rudy Seanez, who Dave pointed to as a desired off-season acquisition, signed a deal with the Red Sox yesterday worth $2.1M guaranteed next season and a possible $5.3M over two years with incentives.
What’s amusing, however, is this line from the AP story: “The 37-year-old right-hander, who passed a physical Tuesday, went 7-1 with a 2.69 ERA and 84 strikeouts in 60 1/3 innings with San Diego last season and was second among NL relievers with 12.5 strikeouts per nine innings. He was more effective against lefties with a 2.45 ERA compared with 2.90 against righties.”
That’s right, folks, lefty-righty ERA splits! What will they think of next?
List of new free agents
Not much getting worked up over.
To Three Nights in August Author Buzz Bissinger
Mr. Bissinger,
You don’t know me, but I’m a big fan. I think “Friday Night Lights” is one of the best sports books I’ve ever read, and I’v enjoyed seeing other work appear in “Best American Sports Writing” yearly anthologies, and then there’s that Pulitzer you won way back when. So when I got a copy of “3 Nights in August” I was excited and happy. But in the preface, I can’t believe what I found:
In the fallout of Michael Lewis’ provocative book Moneyball, baseball front offices are increasingly being populated by thirty-somethings whose most salient qualifications are MBA degress and who come equipped with a clinical ruthlessness: The skills of players don’t even have to be observed but instead can be diagnosed by adept statistical analysis through a computer. These thirtysomethings view players as pieces of an assembly line; the goal is to quantify the inefficiencies that are slowing down production and then to improve on it with cost-effective player parts.
This is jarring an error and as poor a generalization you could make. That you may wish to strike a contrast with LaRussa is no excuse. Read more
Meet-up Wrap-up
The book event with Baseball Prospectus’ Jonah Keri was last night, and was thoroughly enjoyable. It was good to see some folks again, and good to meet others for the first time.
— We heard about (and saw the table of contents for) the forthcoming BP book Baseball Between the Numbers, about which Jonah is enthused. If he’s excited about it, then so am I.
— Jonah brought photocopied handouts of the latest PECOTA projections for Jarrod Washburn. Unfortunately, he’s now facing federal charges for distribution of obscenity. [rimshot]
— I got a bunch of great post ideas from the attendees, including a summation of Bill Bavasi’s record so far and the role of “intangibles” in player evaluation.
— Guests Jon Paul Morosi of the P-I and Larry Stone of the Times listened in, no doubt preparing parallel features on myself and Jonah.
Due to the unexpected outburst of a Dixieland band, a brief softshoe did materialize. No karaoke, though. Many thanks to everyone who showed up.
The Hit King Sits On The Strip
Hunter S. Thompson is dead, and I am in Las Vegas. This is equal parts appropriate and absurd, since I loathe excess and am embarassed by spectacle. But now that Hunter has passed, somebody has to bear witness. Read more
Fun With the MLB Photo Wire
Frivolous Friday links: If you haven’t been introduced to the magic of the MLB photo wire, take my word and take a gander.
There you’ll find a host of photos that, for one reason or another, won’t make it into your local Dead Tree Edition. In certain cases, you can even run your own private caption contest. Here are just a few examples:
“Hey, look! A dinosaur! Jeff Kent’s trying to steal your car!”
* “Please, Lord, let Major League Baseball adopt softball-like rules that allow teams to play five outfielders.”
* Marlins President David Sampson attempts to one-up Juan “Wiggly Feel” Pierre by getting busy with a beat-box to set up his new joint, “Fire Sale Delight.”
* “We loooooove The Leader! The Leader protects us from players with value!”
And, finally:
* “TheoEpsteinsayswhat?”
Try this at home: it’s fun for the whole family.
Wiki-pedia Gonzalez
The Nationals signed Wiki Gonzalez to a minor league contract yesterday. Perhaps taking a page from the M’s 2005 approach, they also signed three other catchers to similar deals with the hopes that one of them will stick as the backup next season.
More Moves for Mid-week
Javier Vazquez traded to the World Champion White Sox, with the Diamondbacks receiving Orlando Hernandez, reliever Luis Vizcaino, and outfield prospect Chris Young. The Diamondbacks, it appears, will pick up some of Vazquez’s salary as well.
The Devil Rays won the rights to negotiate with reliever Shinji Mori. Dude was once a really good reliever over in NPB, but hasn’t been as effective lately.
In other hot Devil Ray news, the Marlins are asking after Joey Gathright, and are willing to give up LHP Scott Olsen. Mmm… prospects a-swappin’.
The PI’s got the skinny on Reed being highly-coveted by other teams in trade talks.
O’er at the Times, Finnigan’s flogging the Reed-for-Clement story as Boras links Clement to Millwood to Washburn to JEFF SHAW OMG!!
Also, confidential to CE in FL or TX: three million gay paleontologists.
Bradley to Oakland
I really don’t envy Bill Bavasi’s job this time of the year–really most any time of the year. When you think about it, his job is to outsmart a bunch of smart guys (smarter than me, anyway), one of whom is Billy Beane.
The A’s have acquired Milton Bradley and former Tacoma Rainier IF Antonio Perez from the Dodgers for Texas League player of the year Andre Ethier.
As you can read in the thread below on Jeremy Reed, quality centerfielders are particularly scarce this winter. Oakland now has two. If you listen really close, no that’s not Santa’s sleigh bells. That’s Billy Beane’s cellphone ringing. It’s probably the Yankees.
Perez is a month away from turning 26 and already in his young career he has been traded for Ken Griffey Jr., Randy Winn, Jason Romano and now Andre Ethier. And in his next transaction, he’ll be traded for the starting pitcher of your local high school team.