Sunday morning things
by Adam J. Morris on Jun 29, 2008 8:56 AM CDT
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PrintThe season is now more than half over. The Rangers have played 82 games, have 80 to go. And are, once again, sitting at .500.
Not a good outing yesterday from Vicente Padilla, who saw his ERA move up above 4.00. But the Rangers still had the opportunity to win...Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Josh Hamilton, and Milton Bradley all batted in the final two innings as the go-ahead runs, and all three guys struck out.
Richard Durrett talks about Josh Hamilton's recent struggles, with Ron Washington saying that Hamilton is tired right now. Given Hamilton's injury history and the fact that he hasn't played a full season since back when ARod was still a Ranger, the Rangers might want to start giving him more days off, although it appears Washington's only concession to this is having Hamilton play right field instead of center lately.
Meanwhile, the S-T is continuing their "Daniels Must Go" campaign. If you recall, last year, the theme was that Ron Washington was incompetent, in over his head, screwing things up, and needed to be run off...now, it seems, the S-T's meme is that Ron Washington is a good baseball man who is hamstrung by being Daniels' puppet, and that it is a minor miracle that the team is playing well with the "grab-butt" collection of talent the front office has foisted upon Washington. The only hope, it seems, is that Nolan Ryan will send some high heat at these snot-nosed kids in the front office and put some real baseball people in charge to save the day.
We had the JFE column yesterday, in which she flat proclaimed that trading Vicente Padilla would be "stupid" (knowing full well that Padilla is one of the guys who will be -- and, I think, should be -- most aggressively shopped come the trade deadline), and then putting up a blog entry where she implied that Daniels is lying about Brandon McCarthy's status in an effort to save face.
Now we have Randy Galloway checking in today. He is leaving on vacation, he says, but before he does, he pens this missive complaining about the Rangers handling of Chris Davis, Max Ramirez, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, and Brandon Boggs, reiterating the Washington-as-Daniels-puppet theory (and thus absolving Washington from any blame for how playing time is being allocated), and asking Nolan to step in and keep "Jon Boy" from screwing up the franchise any further.
So there you go.
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Nolan stepping in
Cool, he can bring all that experience he has in scouting, player development, roster management, playing acquisitions to the table. Oh, wait…...
Let me have a diablo sandwich, a Dr. Pepper, and make it fast I'm in a God damned hurry!
by LSBUser on Jun 29, 2008 9:03 AM CDT reply actions
because JD has so much more...
dumb comment
while neither are exceptionally versed in those particular aspects, at least nolan has 50 years baseball experience to draw from as opposed to a two-time rotisserie league champion pedigree.
JD is an absolute idiot. how many more blunders will he be allowed to make that handicap this organization? it get s VERY tired rehashing the pitching that this guy has given away for nothing more than a bag of marbles.
defending this idiot is an exercise in futility.
nolan may not be the best “GM”, but he runs circles around the wonder blunder kid
by sam in so cal on Jun 29, 2008 9:54 AM CDT up reply actions
JD
Please show me where I mentioned or defended Daniels.
Let me have a diablo sandwich, a Dr. Pepper, and make it fast I'm in a God damned hurry!
by LSBUser on Jun 29, 2008 10:12 AM CDT up reply actions
my bad
my assumption (which is obviously incorrect) is that you were implying nolan lacks the experience of someone else – so i assumed that was our GM.
by sam in so cal on Jun 29, 2008 10:22 AM CDT up reply actions
Nope
I am not one to really defend Daniels. He is still on negative side of the ledger for me. He’s getting closer to even but I still give more weight to the bad decisions he has made at the major league than the good ones he has made with prospects.
I just get tired of the “Nolan will fix it” crowd. As if 7 no hitters, selling meat and foundation repair, and kicking Robin Ventura’s ass are somehow job qualifications for a baseball front office.
Let me have a diablo sandwich, a Dr. Pepper, and make it fast I'm in a God damned hurry!
by LSBUser on Jun 29, 2008 2:32 PM CDT up reply actions
Seriously
you’re just acting dumb…right?
"I'm extremely complex. I'm not easy to understand." - a) Charles Manson, b) Madonna, c) Milton Bradley.
nolan
yeah, he’d have the entire system of minor league pitchers throwing 9 innings every game and have everyone work on “high heat” over control.
50 yrs experience in baseball does not mean a person can be a good gm. just as minimal experience doesnt automatically mean someone can’t be a good one.
"I'm against picketing, but I don't know how to show it." - Mitch Hedberg
Nolan
never said he wanted the pitchers throwing nine innings thats just what dumbasses say when they cant come up with a better argument. What Nolan did do was challenge pitchers to go ONE inning further in games by being more efficient with there pitches and pitch counts so stop making stupid un authenticated comments
by blueballlefty on Jun 29, 2008 11:31 AM CDT up reply actions
so i’m a dumbass?
i was actually just using the 9 innings thing more to point out that he is no more qualified in player development than jd is.
so F off
"I'm against picketing, but I don't know how to show it." - Mitch Hedberg
no you
thats stupid I said thats what dumbasses use as there argument so if you are calling yourself a dumbass then so be it, its a bad argument that doesnt use facts about what Nolan said
by blueballlefty on Jun 29, 2008 11:41 AM CDT up reply actions
ok
i just think the arguments all around about experience are kind of stupid myself.
somehow could have 25yrs experience doing a job and it doesnt mean they do it well
"I'm against picketing, but I don't know how to show it." - Mitch Hedberg
right
but I would think that person has a better Ideal about how that job is suppose to be done than someone that doesn’t have that experience, and a lot of people out there are treating Nolan like he’s an Idiot Nolan has been succesful in a lot of things in his life, so giving the guy a chance is what I think needs to be done
by blueballlefty on Jun 29, 2008 11:50 AM CDT up reply actions
Hmmm
I’d agree that Nolan has a diversity of experience, including ranching and banking, and is of course not a dumb person. Better “idea”, I think you mean.
Look … you can have 40 years of experience, or you can have one year of experience 40 times. Longevity is baseball certainly tells you how things work, IF you are watching for it an learn. OTOH you can Pete Rose it and have one year of experience “n” number of times, only bettering your ability to do whatever it is you do … then declining.
Insight comes from the ability to recognize not only what is happening, but what else is going on that can or may affect the end outcome, then going beyond that to evaluate alternatives which eventually impact any decision made about direction.
Just my take.
"He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp-posts... for support rather than illumination." - Andrew Lang (1844-1912)
by Ed Coffin on Jun 29, 2008 11:55 AM CDT up reply actions
Oops
“in’ baseball, “and” learn, typing speed is no substitute for accuracy! Augh
"He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp-posts... for support rather than illumination." - Andrew Lang (1844-1912)
by Ed Coffin on Jun 29, 2008 11:58 AM CDT up reply actions
My problem with everybody
is they think Nolan is going to be bad for our franchise simply because he said he wants all the minor league pitchers to pitch an extra inning, and every is turning him into a Dusty Baker type villian when all he wanted was for pitchers to be more efficient with there pitches you know like Volquez has said when he was younger he would just “throw” the ball and I think a lot of young pitchers do that, I know I did, when they should be pitching and thats what Nolan wants them to do is PITCH
by blueballlefty on Jun 29, 2008 12:12 PM CDT up reply actions
Well my problem with that is
People think Nolan is tha savior which just isn’t true either. I think JD and Nolan together is a perfect blend that will get the job done. Has JD made some bad trades hell yes he has but so has every GM in the game. JD has made great trades also but people that don’t like JD never give him credit for those trades.
"Would you mind walking a time or two so I could drive in some runs"? Milton Bradley
I dont think you can say
the Tex trade is “great” yet and I dont think the Hammy trade is “great” yet, I love Josh but I still want to see him do it for a whole year, I think its going to be real tough for him to play 150 games these next 2 to3 years in this heat
by blueballlefty on Jun 29, 2008 12:31 PM CDT up reply actions
Lofton and Gagne trades
I guess they sucked also.
"Would you mind walking a time or two so I could drive in some runs"? Milton Bradley
screw you
I didnt say any of them sucked just a little premature to say they were “GREAT” and yeah I am not sure with the way Gagne was pitching here that was a ’’GREAT” trade if Murph continues his play then it will be a “GREAT” trade
by blueballlefty on Jun 29, 2008 12:49 PM CDT up reply actions
With the insults now?
Listen you bash JD on the bad trades but on the GOOD ones you give him no credit at all. If Nolan had made some bad trades you would just say he is learning the job is is vastly different being a GM versus a player give him time.
With JD we atleast have direction now as opposed to before it seemed the Rangers went a different direction every year. JD has turned our farm system around from one of the worst to one of the best. Even if all of the kids don’t pan out you still have them as a trade chip to get the veterans to make a run where as before you had no chips at all.
Go suck LBrooks sweaty balls.
"Would you mind walking a time or two so I could drive in some runs"? Milton Bradley
DUDE
show me where I have bashed JD you moron, why am I arguing with you? I dont think you can find a single place where I have ever dogged JD for his trades I have been critical from day 1 on JD’s 40 and 25 man roster management but other than that he’s been pretty solid.
by blueballlefty on Jun 29, 2008 1:36 PM CDT up reply actions
40 man
Other than DFAing Galarraga even though he still had options left what has he done to screw up the 40 man roster? From what I can tell we haven’t had to DFA anyone who got claimed and has gone on to great seasons elsewhere. He has cleared up room right now so we can have flexibility to do stuff down the road. And as of right now 2 of the guys we would have had to put on the 40 man after this season anyway are on it and performing in the majors. I don’t understand this argument that he has screwed up our 40 man roster simply because of the Galarraga deal. That was bad, really bad, not because of how he is doing because that has come out of nowhere. But it was bad because we didn’t have to do that with him. If we didn’t think he would make the majors this year we had options to send him down and let him keep developing and obviously if we had kept him and he did what he did we would benefit from it.
Bryan Smith (12:17:17 PM PT): Justin Smoak and Josh Hamilton. The AL West might just have found their Bash Brothers, v. 2.0.
fwiw
Galarraga had an option left, not options left.
If he had options left after 2008, he’d probably still be here.
by Adam J. Morris on Jun 29, 2008 2:09 PM CDT up reply actions
yeah
But the point is we weren’t in final evaluation mode with him like we were with Tejeda, Botts, and Cruz. If he wasn’t going to crack the ML roster we could have kept him and worked with him for a full season.
Bryan Smith (12:17:17 PM PT): Justin Smoak and Josh Hamilton. The AL West might just have found their Bash Brothers, v. 2.0.
I agree
I thought at the time there were better options—I’d have preferred to see Tejeda or Cruz cut loose.
But I think the organization felt we’d likely be in the same place with him in 2009 as we were with Tejeda, Cruz and Botts—not knowing if he’s worth a spot on the major league roster, but having to keep him on the 25 man or else risk losing him.
by Adam J. Morris on Jun 29, 2008 2:23 PM CDT up reply actions
totally agree
however I would have rather been in that situation than the one we are in now seeing him be effective for Detroit and hearing people keep bringing him up whenever we have a bad pitching performance
Bryan Smith (12:17:17 PM PT): Justin Smoak and Josh Hamilton. The AL West might just have found their Bash Brothers, v. 2.0.
So
Tejeda wasn’t claimed off waivers? there were a couple of other guys that could have been sent down there his last outing for us was like 3IP and 0 runs. I think promising J.Jennings a 40 man spot was both overpaying and just a bad bad decision. I think the whole Botts for Shelton was terrible, Botts had way more upside than Shelton did. I also think not giving Gold a shot earlier in the year was bad (even though he’s having a down year). Oh yeah and the Gallaraga deal was really bad too, but the main thing for me was promising Jennings a 40 man spot, I think if that was necesarry then you dont sign him, oh yeah again were did I dog JD for his trades I am still waiting for that.
by blueballlefty on Jun 29, 2008 4:14 PM CDT up reply actions
Witness!
To the young, prepubescent (baseball-wise, I presume) whippersnappers, King Ed. Apparently, they’ll listen to you without resorting to name-calling and inferiority-complex circle-jerking.
"I'm extremely complex. I'm not easy to understand." - a) Charles Manson, b) Madonna, c) Milton Bradley.
-1
The youth movement says you’re wrong. JD made some dumb mistakes at the start of his tenure, but has incredibly stocked the cabinets for the next several years with great deals.
What the hell does 50 years baseball experience provide about the ability to be a good GM?
There is no such thing as global warming. David Murphy was cold, so he turned the sun up.
by SarasotaRanger on Jun 29, 2008 10:24 AM CDT up reply actions
I'm so tired...
of people thinking Nolan is better than JD at running a team just because he played baseball. It has to be one of the stupidest things I’ve ever heard. They are not competing in the Rangers rotation.
To say JD is a idiot or doesn’t know what he is doing is equally ignorant. Look at all the kids with the Rangers right now and the others that are on their way. This is all JD’s doing and people need to just shut the fuck up about JD. He’s doing a great job, and has been since he made a couple of bad deals, which every GM has done, especially considering his age and first time at the position.
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
I might have missed it
but I dont think anybody on here has said Nolan would be a better GM than JD I just think a lot of people think like me that Nolan is the perfect compliment to JD in the front office, you know the young kid on the cutting edge and the Older legend that has seen how its done.
by blueballlefty on Jun 29, 2008 11:35 AM CDT up reply actions
Yes you did miss it...
read the sam in so cal post above.
“nolan may not be the best "GM", but he runs circles around the wonder blunder kid”
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
JD has done a terrible job as GM.
He has no clue about pitching talent.
Ask yourself, without getting all bent out of shape, why JD has traded/given away all of the young pitching prospects that he didn’t personally acquire?
Give me a sound, logical, unemotional answer to that question, please.
"I'm extremely complex. I'm not easy to understand." - a) Charles Manson, b) Madonna, c) Milton Bradley.
Have you seen...
the pitching talent we have in the system right now?
Bitch and complain all you want about the bad deal he made with CY (in which Gonzalez is actually the player I’d like to have back) and how he should have known BMac was going to be hurt, which is just stupid. Volquez brought back Hamilton and even you can’t deny the greatness of that deal. And then there is Galarraga who has pitched ok this year and should not have been released but are you really going to count him as a big “talent”.
These “points” you make have no validity to them.
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
what?
“What the hell does 50 years baseball experience provide about the ability to be a good GM?”
I’m tired of this argument against Nolan! Tell me what 0 years of baseball experience provide about the ability to be a good GM.
And I’m a JD fan!
by blueballlefty on Jun 29, 2008 11:33 AM CDT up reply actions
the point is neither 50yrs nor 0 years means you’ll be a good gm
"I'm against picketing, but I don't know how to show it." - Mitch Hedberg
so your really saying
that time/experience in the game really means nothing when it comes to running a team, I disagree I think the time Nolan has spent in the league as a player and with the Rangers/Houston since then is a very valuable attribute he brings to the table
by blueballlefty on Jun 29, 2008 11:44 AM CDT up reply actions
well
he may be able to run day to day business activities as has been proven with his minor league teams.
i just think you cant assume he can develop players or make good trades because he played the game so long
"I'm against picketing, but I don't know how to show it." - Mitch Hedberg
I'm not saying he can
but claiming that he cant also doesnt make sense to me, and I also think with his experience he has a better chance at being succesful than the next guy!
by blueballlefty on Jun 29, 2008 11:47 AM CDT up reply actions
Isiah Thomas
Experience as a player has no relationship to experience as a front office manager.
"Then you an idiot you dont expect lefties to with as much power against lefties" -blueballlefty to me
MJ
best player ever, and had so much experience he took Kwame Brown #1 overall. Experience does not make you a good judge of talent.
by Dirk Diggler on Jun 29, 2008 2:23 PM CDT up reply actions
0 years doesn't mean you might not be a good GM???
Utterly ridiculous.
No experience, zero, nada, vacuum, black hole, IS EVEN CONSIDERED AS ADEQUATE for the Rangers GM?
Utterly ridiculous.
"I'm extremely complex. I'm not easy to understand." - a) Charles Manson, b) Madonna, c) Milton Bradley.
Tell me how...
being a good player makes you good in the front office?
By the way, Isiah Thomas is on line 1 for you.
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
if by start of his tenure....
you mean making room for jason jennings at the expense of galaraga a few weeks ago i would agree
by sam in so cal on Jun 29, 2008 1:33 PM CDT up reply actions
legitimate complaint
having our rookies platoon when they could be getting regular AB’s in the minors….
Well
Davis is, supposedly, not going to be platooning. He’ll sit against some lefties.
Your catchers are, pretty much by definition, not going to play every day. I don’t think Salty and Ramirez are going to platoon, and it looks like Ramirez is going to get a decent amount of playing time by splitting time between 1B, C, and DH.
You could, conceivably, send Ramirez back to AA and sign a veteran backup catcher. Or you could give Bradley away now for whatever you can get, and let Ramirez, Salty and Davis all play every day (although then, Galloway & Co. will be howling about dumping your best player for a bag of peanuts).
I don’t think that the organization should be exempt from criticism for the way they’ve handled the influx of young players on the major league roster.
However, Galloway’s point - that we are bringing guys up to platoon them - seems erroneous, to me.
by Adam J. Morris on Jun 29, 2008 11:51 AM CDT up reply actions
erroneous...
what a polite way of putting it. He’s more full of it than his puppet JFE is.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
J-D For President
It’s strange how people see things so differently at the Star. J-D is a growing, evolving genius. Ranger Ball is on the move. I don’t care if every old-school moron gets-it or not, this Ranger org is headed in the right direction. Ryan is a nice statue. Wash is doing fine, clearly doing what he loves most (delegating, and throwing B-P). Let’s make our trades at the deadline, continue to beef-up this franchise, see who sticks, and win it all down the road. This is one fun ride.
see, the problem there is that wash sucks, too
let’s assume that the minor league system (including currently promoted players) is good enough to contend for a title (even if that title is something as inconsequential as AL West Division winner). is wash really the guy you want at the helm? seriously?
he’s proven on numerous occasions this year that simple decisions are above his pay grade. he’s nice. that’s about all you can say for him. i would be extremely surprised if the players respected him as a manager, and IMO that is a critical component of a manager’s ability to get the most out of his team.
maybe he’s in a no-win situation. maybe i only notice all the stupid in-game pitcher and/or batter decisions he makes and fail to recognize the truly brilliant substitutions (or non-substitutions). maybe they are the right decisions but the players’ inability to execute makes him look like a moron. maybe. or maybe he sucks as a manager and should be slid back down to more logical place in the (an) organization. nice guy. bad manager.
to me, this team is more about kinsler, bradley, hamilton, (occasionally) young and (dare i say) ponson and padilla winning games than ron-ron coaching us to victory.
by sam in so cal on Jun 29, 2008 10:08 AM CDT up reply actions
How do you know he sucks?
Do you really think the team he’s been given has been capable of competing, especially with THAT pitching staff, in either of the past 2 years? I think Mark Connor oughta get a kick in the ass.
There is no such thing as global warming. David Murphy was cold, so he turned the sun up.
by SarasotaRanger on Jun 29, 2008 10:26 AM CDT up reply actions
what Conner's working with...
...two rookies…
...a No. 1 who is really more like a No. 3…
...a No. 2 who is really more like a No. 3… and has a serious attitude problem…
...a lefty with no power or control…
...and a converted starter, who under his tutelage, has become very serviceable…
what is it?... eight, nine quality starts… in 11 tries? does Conner get any credit for that?...
by oc on Jun 29, 2008 1:08 PM CDT up reply actions
Wash for VP?
He’s good enough for now. Because we’re still paying off the Showalter salary, and Wash is very-very cheap, I’m in. If he proves he’s a top tier manager we keep him. If not? Hire new blood. Personally, I like him, but I do agree he’s no LaRussa.
"he's no LaRussa"...
Thank goodness.
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
LaRussa
He’d have the whole clubhouse eating tofu and wearing pleather.
by Adam J. Morris on Jun 29, 2008 12:46 PM CDT up reply actions
Work is play!
Tofutti break today!
Some day, if I have millions, I’m going to open up a home for retarded goats.
by Adam J. Morris on Jun 29, 2008 12:55 PM CDT up reply actions
this is so funny
Galloway writes:
But…if the minor league stats show Davis might struggle a tad with lefties, then keep him in OKC to face those lefties, and not have him sit for those up here.
I so enjoy it that the supposed preeminent sports journalism voice in the market can’t bother himself with looking up a fact like that.
Again: What a freakin’ hack.
BTW: Davis hit .310 / .382 / .724 against LHP while with Oklahoma.
Not to defend Galloway (indeed, perish the thought), but...
Davis had 29 AB against LHP at OKC.
In 29 AB at Frisco this year: .276/.276/.379.
That isn’t a knock against CD’s ability to hit lefties. But always beware sample sizes.
galloway
i’m so tired of his act. sure he doesn’t like what jd has done, i get that. but to be a “respected journalist” and refer to the general manager of the local mlb team as “jon boy” is just pathetic
"I'm against picketing, but I don't know how to show it." - Mitch Hedberg
I’ve enjoyed following the Rangers this year, it’s certainly been more fun than last year. (It’s also much more fun that I haven’t been able to watch the games live but only via boxscore. Being in Japan does have some drawbacks!) Just seeing all these new guys come up has been exciting, even if the only reason they’re here is due to injuries piling up.
While I always wish for success, I secretly hope we stay a .500 team this year just so management doesn’t try to make any foolish moves at the trade deadline. I’m OK with playing for 2009 or 2010. Years of watching Ranger baseball has taught me patience.
Daniels is Incompetent
Position players are a dime a dozen.
Pitchers are 50 cents a pair.
Chris Young
John Danks
Edinson Volquez
Armando Galarraga
Justin Duchscherer
How would that 5 man rotation look for the Rangers?
This team can have 9 Josh Hamiliton’s and still not make the playoffs.
Lbrooks
Compromise
How bout Co-GM
Let No-Hitter handle the pitching.
Wonder Bread handles everything else.
then we can blame No-Hitter in a couple of years for the pitching woes.
by FreeMoney4Sale on Jun 29, 2008 10:31 AM CDT up reply actions
exactly,
our offense is one of the best in the ml and we are .500… we’re like the detriot lions. cool jon kitna throws some touchdowns but they still suck.
Well...
Duchscherer was traded over 6 years ago. Daniels wasn’t even in the organization at that point, much less the g.m.
Young is currently on the d.l., and wasn’t pitching well this season before he went on the d.l., so I doubt he’d have much of an impact on this year’s record.
Galarraga…meh. I don’t think he’s any upgrade over Feldman, Hurley or Mendoza, personally. so I don’t think having him here makes any difference.
by Adam J. Morris on Jun 29, 2008 10:34 AM CDT up reply actions
Also,
I think that needed that Volquez needed a change of scenery in order to perform at his current level. I just simply dont think he performs the same if he is with the rangers this year. Plus in getting a player like Hamilton you have to give up value.
by booyahcaveman on Jun 29, 2008 10:41 AM CDT up reply actions
That's a cop out excuse
and you know it. Unlike the few on this thread that want JD out, I’m not one of them but to not blame JD and this organization for getting the most out of Volquez is crazy. You can’t say “oh well he just needed a change of scenery”. It is JD and the organization’s responsibility to help the young kid to make it work here and they weren’t able to do that.
Didnt
they aid greatly in his getting him back on track by sending him all the way down to Bakersfield? So your argument about them not getting the most out of Volquez is unfounded. Perhaps this year was simply his natural progression. I just really think mgmt wanted Hamilton and that the reds zeroed in on Volquez.
by booyahcaveman on Jun 29, 2008 11:52 AM CDT up reply actions
You said that
he doesn’t perform the same way if he is in Texas…and now you say maybe he could have and this is his natural progression….make up your mind.
settle down...
it is sunday :-). You said they didnt get the most out of him, yet they got him back on track. Agree or Disagree? And by maybe it could have been his natural progession. Please focus on the word “maybe”. I simply dont know. We will never know whether he would have pitched lights out here as well. I do know that Josh Hamilton has been named AL Player of the Month twice which helps mitigate any sting for losing Volquezt. Honestly, I agree with your assessment further down in this thread that the deal is probably a draw. The Reds are in re-building mood just like the Rangers. Think the winner will be decided by which team wins first?
by booyahcaveman on Jun 29, 2008 12:01 PM CDT up reply actions
I think it only becomes a win
if in two years our rotation is great which would mean a lot of our starting pitching prospects developed and are doing well at the MLB level. Then we would have a great rotation and Hamilton. Now if our rotation continues to struggle and we can’t get over the hump because of a lack of ace I would say it wasn’t a win.
Sour Grapes
I think that’s the term AJM would use.
by Chris Hanes on Jun 29, 2008 12:49 PM CDT up reply actions
change of scenery...
...he’s still pitching in a hitter’s ballpark… and for the first couple of months was pitching against the better hitting National League…
...Junior Circuit kinda evened that out in June…
by oc on Jun 29, 2008 1:13 PM CDT up reply actions
"better hitting National League"
Better hitiing than who?
Don't knock masturbation, it's sex with someone I love .
by Brian Thomas on Jun 29, 2008 4:52 PM CDT up reply actions
Well well well...
you crawled out from under your rock to bash JD. What a surprise. Time to do those troll ranking again.
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
Justin Duchscherer?
Seriously? He hasn’t been a Rangers since 2001. How can you put that on JD when he wasn’t here lol. You my friend are incompetent.
-1
We would make the playoffs with 9 Josh Hamiltons that was a mistake on your part, even if we had left handed catchers,2nd,3rd baseman and SS.
by blueballlefty on Jun 29, 2008 11:37 AM CDT up reply actions
+1
LBrooks…you’re one of the few around here with intelligence.
Most of these guys have no clue about winning baseball.
JD’s an “evolving genius”?
Nolan doesn’t know anything about baseball?
That’s just retarded.
Trust me, most of the “LSB Top-10” don’t have a clue. They just have an illusory “mutual admiration society” going.
Check out the forecasts on the pitchers (i.e. Padilla and McCarthy).
Some of us know what we’re talking about.
The rest of them just back each other up…regardless.
"I'm extremely complex. I'm not easy to understand." - a) Charles Manson, b) Madonna, c) Milton Bradley.
Haha...
Ok not that anything you said had any credibility before, but this statement…
"LBrooks…you’re one of the few around here with intelligence."Just confims your ignorance.
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
wow, they are some morons in the D/FW media
EG, of course is not one of them, he’s doing really excellent of late…
Stats don't lie
Paul Pierce >> Soft Nowitzki
"The Legend of Rudy continues to grow..." - the other guy on the podcast.
Question
Do you think Daniels blew it by trading Volquez for Hamilton?
by Adam J. Morris on Jun 29, 2008 10:40 AM CDT up reply actions
Since our
pitching coach is incompetent, Volquez would have never been that good with us. They changed his arm angle, Connor is a moron and didn’t figure that out.
"No bear or disco for Juan" - Mr. Santos
I dont know
if they necessarily changed his arm. I believe they just told him to throw naturally and that was the result. Either way, Im not the biggest fan of Mark Connor.
by booyahcaveman on Jun 29, 2008 10:52 AM CDT up reply actions
+1
There is no such thing as global warming. David Murphy was cold, so he turned the sun up.
by SarasotaRanger on Jun 29, 2008 11:09 AM CDT up reply actions
I dont agree
i love you miles but look at what Volquez did in OKC last year and what he did when he got to the big leagues last year he was pretty succesful here.
by blueballlefty on Jun 29, 2008 11:39 AM CDT up reply actions
How can you claim that?
because Connor isn’t good? Well if so he should have been fired and JD is blamed for not firing him. You can’t just make comments like “He was never going to do this well in texas” What proof do you have of that?
I can’t name ONE brilliant Texas SP, homegrown, 6-plus years of solid production in Texas?Texas has the reverse of LA/Oakland factors. Over the longer haul, I can’t blame all the Texas coaches, it’s clearly a difficult place to pitch well. Is it the heat, history, ballpark, we can speculate forever, but good pitchers die here, and young pitchers struggle over the longer haul. Volquez immediately did well in Philly? Pitchers do not thrive in the Texas environment for extended periods of time.
I think Daniels blew it by not being able to get
the most out of Volquez when he was with the Rangers. As for the trade, can you call it a win? At the moment I’d call it a draw…
I'd call it win win....
much different than a draw in my opinion.
Because a draw indicates...
a zero sum outcome. In this case both teams can “win”. In this case both teams can be made better by a trade. In your example it assumes that if player a is traded for player b then one team MUST be either worse or both teams are no better.
We wouldn't have a CF
putting up potential MVP type numbers.
Look if you don’t get what I’m saying or just disagree that’s fine. If every trade has to have one of three outcomes then we can just agree to disagree.
I'm just trying to understand this
“win-win” concept. Because I really don’t see how it can be a win if you give up the ERA leader and your pitching is your weakness, in a major major major way.
If as a result of the trade....
Team A scores more runs over a season than it gives up and Team B scores more runs than it gives up then it is a “win win.”
The run differentials....
could have been even worse for each team.
so to clarify....
should have said….if as a result of the trade each team narrows their respective run differential (if negative) or grows their respective run differential (if positive) then it is a “win win”
this will end up being a LOSS
if Ron doesnt start giving Josh some more days off in the heat
by blueballlefty on Jun 29, 2008 12:14 PM CDT up reply actions
not really considering
how low offense output we have had the past few yrs in the outfield.. idk if anyone could have the foresight to envision cy young future for volquez. i really think this organization has or had a low self-respect for developing its own pitching. trading danks for mccarthy was pretty much showing no faith in bringing up a legit pitcher. basically saying pitching for pitching. but volquez for hamilton if on any lvl i htink u can look at the rangers historically in the park they play and say u need an insane amount of pithcing if u think they’re going to win. offense comes w/ the park to a certain extent., pitching doesnt.
You weren't asking me.
I’ll answer anyway since I was once part of a sig for saying I didn’t like the trade.
No, I don’t think he blew it. I think the Reds “win” the trade, but only by a hair. And I can be persuaded to think Volquez never would have gotten it figured out while he was here, in which case it would seem to be a marvelous trade.
At this point, while I don’t exactly like it and think a lot of people look at Volquez as sour grapes and think Hamilton can walk on whater, I’m almost completely fine with it. It’s too early to clearly decide if it was a great or terrible trade, but I’m inclined to think both teams will come out ahead and it won’t be a major loss on either side.
It has certainly brought PUBLICITY to the Rangers that Volquez wouldn’t have. The best story in baseball is playing in Arlington, and he’s also a hell of a lot of fun to watch.
Who cares?
Quit nit-picking, Adam.
Do you think JD has put together a semblance…even faint…of a contending pitching staff in the last three years?
Oh, by the way…I meant for the Rangers.
No lawyering or side-stepping or misdirection.
Yes or No?
"I'm extremely complex. I'm not easy to understand." - a) Charles Manson, b) Madonna, c) Milton Bradley.
"Lawyering, side-stepping, misdirection"
Are you afraid of being confused, or are you just stupid?
by brettgardner on Jun 30, 2008 12:57 AM CDT up reply actions
+1
I suspect the latter.
"Typical woman. 'Give me' 'Give me' 'Give me'
I’ll give ya something.
1. A backhand
2. A stuffing
3. $500 if you promise never to post here again"
~ The Immortal, BG
by inactive lsb user on Jun 30, 2008 12:43 PM CDT up reply actions
Black and White
So, to sum up: Ryan good, Washington innocent lacky, Daniels et al bad.
Why do media analysts and fans try to boil things down to such simple terms? All of the entities discussed have strengths and weaknesses, and yet most speak of them as if they were 2-dimensional archetypes.
Washington just can’t seem to pen a lineup without Hamilton in it. I don’t blame him, but he needs to think of the long term picture, longer than the next 9 innings.
Time you enjoy wasting was not wasted.
I blame it on
Racism.
Galloway’s always struck me as a guy who would quickly turn the corner when he sees a black guy at night, but would be the first to tell you, “my best friend at work is an afro-american!”
by brettgardner on Jun 29, 2008 11:46 AM CDT up reply actions
I'll Never Understand
I concur that Galloway, et al make it sound this way, but I have not heard Nolan say or do anything to undercut or disrespect JD. He may do this in the future, but I think a lot of you are erroneously taking the words of the Galloway-like to be the words of Nolan himself.
I know a lot of you really like to fret over things that have not yet happened but at least keep it clear in your minds that the things you fear are not already happening.
This is driving me nuts!!!
This season has been very exciting for Rangers fans “in the know”. It seems to me, that if you have followed the team this season, and even over the past two seasons, that the Rangers are headed in the right direction. JD has built the system into one of the best in the league, and certainly the best the Rangers have ever had. How ANYONE, can say that he has done a bad job, and should be fired is beyond me.
How could JD have built this team any differently? With Tom Hicks not spending money anymore, the only way to build this team is through the farm. When people crow about the talent on the major league roster, they should be bitching at Tom Hicks and his check book, not JD. True, JD made 2 major mistakes (AGon & Young, Sori), but name one GM in the league who has not had a bad deal.
In a couple of years, Shapiro (recently the GM of the Year) will look like an idiot for trading MaxRam for an elderly Kenny Lofton. You could say the same thing about young Theo Epstein, “We gave up Beltre for a couple of crappy months for Gagne?”
If the sports writers in the DFW are this short-sighted, they should be covering fishing, or some other sport where you only have to concentrate on the present. What scares me the most, is that Hicks or Nolan could be dumb enough to listen to these idiots.
"Shut the F*** up Lloyd!!"- Superagent Mr. Gold
by kman1415 on Jun 29, 2008 11:04 AM CDT reply actions 6 recs
Amein!
Iron Mike Tyson works out at my gym.
He's a pretty good boxer.
by LAMuscleFag on Jun 29, 2008 11:13 AM CDT up reply actions
+1
There is no such thing as global warming. David Murphy was cold, so he turned the sun up.
by SarasotaRanger on Jun 29, 2008 11:09 AM CDT up reply actions
Kind of an ironic criticism
Don't knock masturbation, it's sex with someone I love .
by Brian Thomas on Jun 29, 2008 4:57 PM CDT up reply actions
Is it?
Why?
I mean, I get it if you said that, because that’s your bit.
I know I’m arrogant, but how am I smarmy?
by brettgardner on Jun 29, 2008 6:03 PM CDT up reply actions
You don't think you can be smarmy?
Don't knock masturbation, it's sex with someone I love .
by Brian Thomas on Jun 30, 2008 2:08 PM CDT up reply actions
In everyday life
Yes, but I’m not sure what I do here that is smarmy.
In any case, it’s a moot point. Even granting you that it’s an ironic comment because I share those qualities, mjh and I are not similarly situated. I present my crass in a snake-pit of crassness. He’ll be writing for a major paper.
by brettgardner on Jun 30, 2008 2:20 PM CDT up reply actions
Defending Galloway
I agree the lack of motivation to look up Chris Davis’ lefty splits was pretty bad, but, regardless of who Galloway is throwing under the bus, I agree with his criticism of the way Ramirez/Davis/Salty are being handled. First off, I don’t like the notion of shuffling Ramirez back and forth between 1B, C, and the bench. And I don’t like the notion of Davis platooning. Davs’ career stats in the minors suggest he doens’t have a problem handling lefties. Let him play first full time. He’s proven himself at AA and AAA this year, why not give him the shot? If you’re going to call Ramirez up, I think you should let him take his hacks. Find out if the guy can stick at catcher. Salty has been pretty uninspiring back there, and his offense has really not developed like the Rangers had hoped. C’mon. .214/.336/.333? Let Salty be the backup. If you want to keep getting him at bats, let him DH against righties. I understand there’s a logjam at catcher. Well, MOVE ONE OF THEM to a team like the Red Sox that have NO promising catchers in their system, and LOTS of pitchers who are close to major league ready.
It's just that simple!
sggut95 has shown us the way! Call Boston JD. You should be able to trade Salty for a stud pitcher right? Sggut95 has told us it’s just that easy.
That the best you got?
Ok, einstein, why don’t you explain to me why it WOULDN’T be a good idea to trade one of THREE great catching prospects for some good young pitching? And you find me the GM that would turn his nose at a deal for a decent young hitting catcher with upside. And did I SAY trade SALTY? I said trade ONE of them. And try to tell me with a straight face that other teams wouldn’t be interested if the Rangers dangled either Salty, Ramirez, or Teagarden.
Relax, take a compliment
We were all just wishing we had thought of that.
Don't knock masturbation, it's sex with someone I love .
by Brian Thomas on Jun 29, 2008 5:01 PM CDT up reply actions
Okay
Davs’ career stats in the minors suggest he doens’t have a problem handling lefties.
I’m pretty sure this is wrong. I think Davis, historically, has struggled against LHPs in the minors.
And I don’t think that saying, well, Salty has had a month and hasn’t done much, so let him be the backup and let Max play every day makes sense, either.
by Adam J. Morris on Jun 29, 2008 11:40 AM CDT up reply actions
Yup.
I’m trying to figure out why people have such a short leash with Salty. I’ve come to the conclusion that people are just assuming he’s another over-hyped prospect from another system and want him gone ASAP.
Prove it
I couldn’t find splits for previous years, but this year he’s hitting .310 against lefties. If you have splits for previous years, fire away.
Well
That .310 was in Oklahoma—he was putting up a sub-700 OPS against them in Frisco:
by Adam J. Morris on Jun 29, 2008 5:11 PM CDT up reply actions
1st post, eh?
Thank goodness for that, my brain cells couldn’t handle too much more of your drivel…
"...my balls are really like a veiny flesh color" blueballlefty on Jun 4, 2008 7:44 PM EDT
"If you ain't got no money, ain't nobody calls you honey," Bo Diddley
Why hate?
Are you guys all a—holes, or is it just you?
We're not all assholes
But bring something, man.
Maximus has been up for 1 week…hardly long enough to bitch about his usage.
Davis is not being platooned…he will sit against some tough lefties. Fuck, the guy was in JC barely over 2 years ago today.
Lastly, you don’t trade a player just because you have an excess at a position. You trade a player when equal value will be returned.
"...my balls are really like a veiny flesh color" blueballlefty on Jun 4, 2008 7:44 PM EDT
"If you ain't got no money, ain't nobody calls you honey," Bo Diddley
Why anyone......
reads or listens to Randy Galloway I will never know. Maybe it’s something to do with youth. When I was a kid growing up in Dallas I loved Galloway and his “keep’em honest” journalism. Then I grew up and realized he’s an idiot on a soap box. Constantly on some fucking soap box.
The rangers aren’t exciting enough for the FWST right now. Not good enough to generate the right kind of headlines. Not bad enough to have all the fans screaming for heads. So the FWST has to generate some headlines. How about a witch hunt? Yeah that works.
I find it utterly fucking ridiculous that JD is being essentially called an idiot for having players that he traded for (Salty, Max) and a player he drafted (Davis) on the MLB roster contributing even if it is in a limited manner. It’s a joke.
Please people…....stop reading the FWST bullshit.
Well...
I’m guessing 80-90% of Galloway’s readers are already of the opinion that JD should be fired, so he’s basically preaching to the choir here.
I think
that the S-T should get some real baseball people in there to do their writing and stop letting these chumps do it!
Why?
Nobody reads or cares about that paper.
It is the definition of an irrelevant newspaper, and I suspect it’ll dwindle away eventually.
by brettgardner on Jun 29, 2008 11:48 AM CDT up reply actions
Do you mean this or this?
Do you mean print media newspapers in general are on the way out? or
The FWST is outclassed by the DMN?
I have no idea
How you could draw that first conclusion from what I said.
The second is true, though the Morning News is extremely weak as well.
by brettgardner on Jun 29, 2008 11:53 AM CDT up reply actions
Since
I’m trying to find some sort of specific meaning so I’m taking the top two that I could think of.
So I didn’t draw that first one as a conclusion – just trying to decifer your deep, deep meaning.
Any way, they’re all a bunch of chuckleheads, but of course the Dallas oriented chuckleheads are of higher quality. Talk about splitting hairs.
Well
You did a horrible job, because the meaning was quite clear. You did draw a conclusion by attempting to resolve my premise. It was one which was not justified by anything I said.
There was no deep meaning, as I think your biting sarcasm points out, but there certainly wasn’t meant to be, either.
My suggestion for you: take the pity down a notch, and work on your abilities of comprehension. When the subject isn’t changed in a sentence, it is generally presumed to be the same. Thus, when I say “that paper”, “it” and “it’s” they all refer to the same subject (ST).
Thanks for your probing questions, though.
by brettgardner on Jun 29, 2008 12:06 PM CDT up reply actions
And
there are so many reasons the print media could be irrelevant, it didn’t hurt you to clarify yourself a little bit. Get off your high horse.
It wasn't necessary
If you know how to interpret the written word in context.
Try that, and I’ll leave the every angle of the print media bit up to you.
by brettgardner on Jun 29, 2008 12:43 PM CDT up reply actions
You're the One
who brought up the irrelevance of the FWST in the first place, not me. I subsequently wondered whether you meant, “oh, like all other print media” irrelevant or “its losing out to the DMN” irrelevant. Why does that get under your skin?
I meant
It’s irrelevant to the market it’s serving, because nobody really cares about it.
This one stupid story is giving the ST more press than anything in the last year. A sports story, no less.
Now please, I’ve given you what you wanted. Reciprocate, and quit asking me stupid questions with answers that are incredibly obvious if you have at least a 4th-grade level of reading comprehension.
by brettgardner on Jun 29, 2008 2:00 PM CDT up reply actions
“This one stupid story is giving the ST more press than anything in the last year. “
no it’s not…
by oc on Jun 29, 2008 2:05 PM CDT up reply actions
That's a good point.
What scandal did the ST uncover this year that I’m unaware of?
by brettgardner on Jun 29, 2008 2:07 PM CDT up reply actions
let's go back to the root of this...
Nobody reads or cares about that paper.
...though the Morning News is extremely weak as well.
This one stupid story is giving the ST more press than anything in the last year.
these sound like opinions… not facts…
how you could let such a insignificant argument about the print media ruin your morning befuddles me…
by oc on Jun 29, 2008 2:28 PM CDT up reply actions
They are opinions.
Is that your only point?
by brettgardner on Jun 29, 2008 2:29 PM CDT up reply actions
...know what?...
...fuck the Mavs…
...fuck the NBA…
...fuck the NBA draft…
and fuck you… and everybody who looks like you.
by oc on Jun 29, 2008 2:33 PM CDT up reply actions
I just don't understand...
why you need to be an ass when the answer to his question wasn’t as obvious as you make it out to be and he wasn’t (by my interpretation) being an ass to you. You’re a decently intelligent guy. When you grow up a little bit and start treating people with some more respect you’ll be far better for it.
It was obvious.
You can try again, too, if you like.
I don’t make a presumption of respect. It has to be earned. Asking me stupid questions about an obvious point isn’t the way to do that.
I love people. Really I do. You get a whiff that you’re older than me, and you automatically assume it’s your place to instruct me in the verities of life; to impart your profound wisdom upon me.
That’s why I laugh at guys like ben so much.
Truth is, I’m very intelligent. I’m certainly not saying that I’m the most intelligent person here, but if my age were unknown to you, you’d have no leg to stand on, because I’m quite adept at forming and defending arguments.
Save your preaching for somebody who asks for it.
by brettgardner on Jun 29, 2008 2:21 PM CDT up reply actions
Our respective ages....
have nothing to do with you needing to “grow up”. In fact “I have no idea how you would draw that conclusion from what I said.”
Nice try.
But it’s actually a very related concept.
I think you need to grow up if you can’t be honest with people.
by brettgardner on Jun 29, 2008 2:32 PM CDT up reply actions
Brett's not young
Hell, look at his picture! Old as dirt…
But he can be prickish at times, which is why I “heart” him so much.
;)
"...my balls are really like a veiny flesh color" blueballlefty on Jun 4, 2008 7:44 PM EDT
"If you ain't got no money, ain't nobody calls you honey," Bo Diddley
Wow...
the age thing really gets under your skin.
Don’t worry, Brett, you’ll be older soon!
"I know you're a bit dense but no, it doesn't. Obviously lying isn't a problem for me."
Hmm?
Gets under my skin? Where’d you get that?
But I do love the predictably unanswerable pity farewell. With the exclamation, of course.
I thought you didn’t enjoy talking to me. Guess I was wrong.
But, as to the merits, I can only hope to one day get as old as you, and contribute as much as I’m sure you do to this world. We can’t have enough weekend-working, internet-surfing 30-somethings with an affinity for baseball blogging, after all.
In time, I suppose.
by brettgardner on Jun 29, 2008 7:59 PM CDT up reply actions
You can always hope!
Shoot for the stars, Brett.
"I know you're a bit dense but no, it doesn't. Obviously lying isn't a problem for me."
Believe me
I am. There’s an insightful quote that comes to mind:
“Shoot for the stars. If you miss, you’ll land among the great unwashed masses who shiftlessly slug about and squander their exceedingly wasted and unproductive lives.”
I know that advice has guided you, and I hope it will do the same for me.
by brettgardner on Jun 29, 2008 8:10 PM CDT up reply actions
Hey...
if you stop being such an asshole, I’ll teach you to shave.
"I know you're a bit dense but no, it doesn't. Obviously lying isn't a problem for me."
You have to
Be able to grow facial hair first.
That’s still several years away.
by brettgardner on Jun 29, 2008 11:05 PM CDT up reply actions
Okay, I'll take you...
camping. My beard is scratchy but it gives good backrubs.
"I know you're a bit dense but no, it doesn't. Obviously lying isn't a problem for me."
Classic SNL.
If you do more of that, I might just start liking you.
by brettgardner on Jun 29, 2008 11:16 PM CDT up reply actions
Is this "civil discourse"?
If so, fuck it. I’ll go back to gruntin’ & scratchin’.
You fucking lawyers are supposed to be like smart, and stuff.
:)
"...my balls are really like a veiny flesh color" blueballlefty on Jun 4, 2008 7:44 PM EDT
"you gonna lose your horse. seriously." FX2
"If you ain't got no money, ain't nobody calls you honey," Bo Diddley
You're gay for
Plucker.
"I know you're a bit dense but no, it doesn't. Obviously lying isn't a problem for me."
The DMN lets JJ Taylor write
columns about major league baseball (his column on Gabbard was a joke) which speaks volumes for jpw weak that paper has become.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
by Josey Wales on Jun 29, 2008 12:04 PM CDT up reply actions
Yes.
He sucks.
And the DMN is weak, as I said.
by brettgardner on Jun 29, 2008 12:06 PM CDT up reply actions
has any body seen this
a translator would be good to
http://www.fighters.co.jp/news/detail/234.html
aaahhhhhhhh BOTTZILLA
i can't wait until the UEFA Final
i need something good to distract me from this D/FW media crap.
Stats don't lie
Paul Pierce >> Soft Nowitzki
"The Legend of Rudy continues to grow..." - the other guy on the podcast.
That story
about Ballack maybe not playing was the biggest load of bull out there. Really, he’s gonna miss the Final? Really?
"Hard work never killed anybody, but why take a chance?"
DC United pwning LA
Stats don't lie
Paul Pierce >> Soft Nowitzki
"The Legend of Rudy continues to grow..." - the other guy on the podcast.
Volquez
I just want to say that I know for a fact he wouldn’t do well here so stop the complaining about him being thrown away. Picture this and tell me that you can’t see it happening:
5th inning
Volquez walks the leadoff hitter
Volquez strikes out the 2nd hitter on a full count
Volquez walks the second hitter
Pitching coach Mark Connor comes for a mound visit
Volquez gives up a 3 run HR
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
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