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Tuesday a.m. stuff

Th_buckykatt_tiny by Adam J. Morris on

Wins are good.  It is enough to make me overlook the fact that Joaquin Arias was hitting leadoff last night, while Chris Davis hit 9th.

Nelson Cruz announced his presence with authority last night, with Evan Grant saying that Cruz feels he's mentally tougher now, and Ron Washington saying that Cruz will play everyday the rest of the way.

I don't know what to think about the Nelson Cruz situation.  I guess the ideal situation is that he hits well enough that you say, okay, he's our starting right fielder next season.  But even if he does, I don't know that you really are going to feel that confident about what you're going to get from him next year.  It puts you in a situation where at least one of the Byrd/Murphy/Boggs group -- probably Byrd -- is likely going to have to go.  And it means that either you don't bring Milton Bradley back next season, or you bring Bradley back as the DH and try to move Max Ramirez and John Mayberry Jr. this offseason.

The alternative, I guess, is to hope that Cruz does well enough that you can move him this offseason.

Hopefully, if they move one of those guys, they'll get more than Eddie Guardado fetched.

Here's the relevant question on Guardado...was there a significantly better deal available for Guardado at the deadline?  And if there was, who and why did they pass on that?  And if Guardado was important enough to keep on July 31, because the Rangers wanted to finish strong and keep the bullpen solidified, what changed between now and then?

The one possibility that occurs to me is that Guardado may have asked to be dealt to a contender.  That would explain a lot, I think. 

Jeff Wilson says that the Twins claimed Guardado on waivers, and that the Rangers had interest in Guardado at the deadline, but didn't deal him because they felt they were still in the playoff race.  If true, that's very disappointing, and does not speak well of how realistic the organization was being at the deadline.  More material, though, is what it was they passed up at the deadline to keep Guardado.

 

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Cruz

I think if he shows he can actually hang at this level going into next year you don’t have to move anybody. Simply let Boggs start next year in AAA where he only has 18 games of experience. Although he has shown flashes this year he was probably rushed and could use some more time in AAA. Plus isn’t that what options are for. Its not like he is Hamilton or Kinsler. At his best he is probably no more than a good 4th OF.

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.

by bigsteve on Aug 26, 2008 9:51 AM CDT   0 recs

last nights win

As Adam said, “Wins are good”. Lets not forget that this win was against Kansas City. Cruz did show some pop we all knew was there.

¡yo soy Horsedooty!

I soloed in the Mile High Club!

by horsedooty on Aug 26, 2008 9:56 AM CDT   0 recs

Byrd..

.. has significantly increased his trade value.

by mattrpav on Aug 26, 2008 10:00 AM CDT   0 recs

still should have traded him

for gallagher or marshall instead of asking for one of them + murton

Every pitch thrown to Josh Hamilton is recorded as an E1. -- clark

by knockoutking on Aug 26, 2008 10:04 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

I don't think...

…Gallagher or Marshall was available for Byrd. Everything I saw said it was Murton who was available.

by Adam J. Morris on Aug 26, 2008 10:05 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

clearing an OF spot for Cruz

Murphy would be the OF that I would look to trade, he is the guy that might have a trade value greater than what he could realistically be expected to contribute here.

Warner Madrigal makes Ezequiel Astacio look downright handsome.

by tricer on Aug 26, 2008 10:05 AM CDT   0 recs

Agreed on moving Murphy.

Ok player and a nice story but limited upside.

"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."

by Josey Wales on Aug 26, 2008 10:10 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

I guess my question is...

…what is he really going to bring in return?

by Adam J. Morris on Aug 26, 2008 10:14 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Right

I like his defense and as long as he’s not hitting too much against lefties I’d rather keep him and I doubt he has a whole lot of trade value. Figure out which of the OFers has the most value (other than Hamilton, obviously) and either trade him or include him in a larger package.

Time you enjoy wasting was not wasted.

by t ball on Aug 26, 2008 10:22 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

OF with the most trade value

Has to be Murphy, right?

If some team values Byrd over Murph, then all the better.

Warner Madrigal makes Ezequiel Astacio look downright handsome.

by tricer on Aug 26, 2008 10:27 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Well

I’m including Mayberry and Cruz in that bunch, and Boggs as well. One of them might be perceived as having a lot of long term potential by some team.

Time you enjoy wasting was not wasted.

by t ball on Aug 26, 2008 10:31 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

i think there would be quite a few GMs that view him as a starter

since august 10th 2007 david murphy is 15th among qualifying AL outfielders in OPS.
and has a .280 average against lefties in his mlb career.

maybe a good young bullpen arm? good AA pitching prospect?

the preceding post is not nearly as negative or insulting as you think it is

by DSheppard on Aug 26, 2008 10:31 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

+ 1

"California is the most liberal state in the union. No joke that place is probably going to slide into the ocean one of these days. California is a wasteland run by liberals"

-Sharky- what a nice guy huh? I guess he doesn't watch any TV shows or movies.. If California goes so goes the entertainment industry. What a nut job!!

by LAMuscleFag on Aug 26, 2008 11:01 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

im trying to be reasonable so the haters dont jump on me.

the preceding post is not nearly as negative or insulting as you think it is

by DSheppard on Aug 26, 2008 3:25 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

I think

that’s reasonable. His numbers could stay there or even get higher if he’s used wisely.

Time you enjoy wasting was not wasted.

by t ball on Aug 26, 2008 4:02 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Anyone else see the irony

At the end of last season, we’d have done just about anything for just one decent outfielder. Now we are up in arms because we have too many decent options to fill in after Hamilton (Boggs, Murphy, Byrd, Bradley, JMJ)

by JBImaknee on Aug 26, 2008 10:59 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Just like the stockpile of C's

I don’t think this organization knows which OF’s after Hamilton can play.

Maybe Cruz can do it but most players his age cannot. Ludwick & Mora are pretty good examples of players that suddenly found it.

The move to play Cruz smirks of desperation and somebody looking at the small picture by piling up a few wins in September/ trying to save their job instead of doing the logical thing and letting Boggs develop.

I can see why they are rewarding Cruz for a good year in AAA but why are they still playing Byrd instead of Boggs?

"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."

by Josey Wales on Aug 26, 2008 11:14 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Boggs

If they were worried about him developing they would have left him in AAA this year. He has 18 games of AAA experience and last time I checked only the top prospects made the jump from AA to the majors. Boggs does not fall in that category. Hes shown flashes of good but also plenty of bad this season. The best thing for him is probably to start next year in AAA and be the first injury replacement.

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.

by bigsteve on Aug 26, 2008 11:33 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

No, no, no per Boggs.

He’ll be 26 years old next year. He needs to be in The Show, either here or somewhere else.

"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."

by Josey Wales on Aug 26, 2008 11:38 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

You keep harping on this

but I don’t think Boggs needs more time in AAA. He needs to play more often perhaps, but he can do it in Arlington.

Time you enjoy wasting was not wasted.

by t ball on Aug 26, 2008 1:39 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

why are they still playing Byrd instead of Boggs?

Because if Byrd hits another 6 home runs in the next month and keeps his production at his yearly average, you’re looking at a guy who has a .300/..350/.450 line with 25 homers over 800 ABs in the last two years. That isn’t a superstar, but it is someone who can fetch a nice return in a trade this fall.

Playing both Cruz and Byrd (and Blalock and Cat) will basically be a showcase for their Hot Stove appearance in a few months.

by JBImaknee on Aug 26, 2008 12:18 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Could a package...

of Salty, Murphy, and Harrison land a guy like Greinke from KC or Johnson/Volstad from Florida?

"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates

by slc ranger on Aug 26, 2008 11:31 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Cruz and the 40

It looks like the 40 man roster is full this winter once JMJ and Vallejo are added. Metcalf would probably be the one to drop if the Rangers wish to keep Cruz. I am not sure what Cruz would have to do in order for the Rangers to justify keeping him this winter.

Nolan Ryan should be the Rangers president, GM, manager and pitching coach.

by RangerMad on Aug 26, 2008 10:17 AM CDT   0 recs

I guess the ideal situation is that he hits well enough that you say, okay, he’s our starting right fielder next season. But even if he does, I don’t know that you really are going to feel that confident about what you’re going to get from him next year.

Again, this is why I wanted him up two months ago so that you really would know, or at least would have a much better idea.

Offense doesn't doubt me, but my first and primemost thing is defense and punt return and kickoff return

by zywica on Aug 26, 2008 10:20 AM CDT   0 recs

Eddie

I doubt they were offered much more than what they got. It might have come down to honoring his request to be traded to a contender, ensuring goodwill, which would enable resigning him this off season. Who knows?

As for the outfield situation, I don’t know that someone has to be moved. Boggs could go to AAA, and the Rangers could go with Cruz, Byrd, Murphy, and Hamilton, with Hamilton moved to right field. That outfield has the potential to be above average both offensively and defensively. Boggs could be promoted in the event of an injury. MOB could DH with Max and TT at catcher. If MOB doesn’t re-sign, put Max at DH and and let Salty and TT catch. The odd man out I guess would be JMJ, but I’m not going to lose much sleep over that.

"You’re the only here who contributes schtick only." - brettgardner

by trza on Aug 26, 2008 10:21 AM CDT   0 recs

Im guessing you think

Laird will be traded before Salty? Who would you rather keep? Has TT shown he can produce enough at the plate to warrent getting rid of Laird?

by thad728 on Aug 26, 2008 10:24 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Yeah

I guess I’m assuming one of the two will be traded. I’m kind of indifferent as to which one that would be.

"You’re the only here who contributes schtick only." - brettgardner

by trza on Aug 26, 2008 10:46 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

I've come to the conclusion that Laird

isn’t much more than Rod Barajas and the reason he wasn’t dealt at the deadline is because most other teams felt that way as well.

Salty, TT and Max have more upside and I’d rather see them than Laird.

"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."

by Josey Wales on Aug 26, 2008 11:20 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Where do you come up with that?

I think Salty is head and shoulders below Laird and TT. I dont think Max has much upside at all at Catcher, maybe DH, but i would sure rather have Laird who has proven he can hit in the bigs. What has Salty ever done to show he can play at the big league level, at the plate and as the backstop??!!
Laird has been great this year when he has been healthy. OMFT!!!!!

by thad728 on Aug 26, 2008 11:36 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

laird "head and shoulders" above salty.

laird is a 28 year old with a career .693 ops.
salty is a 23 year old with a career .719 ops with significant reason to believe he will improve (the lack of the experience, lack of consistent playing time while not injured, some solid minor league numbers, his raw power hasnt shown up).

He also has a .850 ops in 43 at bats hes managed to get post all star break with a .431 obp. Hell, his SEASON obp is 10 points higher than lairds despite the supposed suckage.

The defensive difference makes laird the better player right now, but if you are really buying into one season of a
746 ops making laird some kind of major offensive threat despite a career of ineptitude vs right handed pitchers……

I think salty still has a significant chance of being a .820 ops catcher that can throw out 25% of runners and call a decent game. Hes probably not a catcher into his 30s, but hes 23 so whatever.

Plus, you have salty locked up a lot longer than laird.

Now, once you throw teagarden into the mix things get complicated, but if you would get the exact same prospect in return for laird or salty, id easily give up laird.

the preceding post is not nearly as negative or insulting as you think it is

by DSheppard on Aug 26, 2008 11:50 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Wasting your breath

this has been beaten as much as any dead horse can be. There will always be those who want to rip Salty because he was a highly touted prospect and the center of the Tex trade and he was unable to come over from Atlanta and set the world on fire a la Chris Davis.

Unfortunately, the only thing that will change this perspective on Salts is an extended look, which now may never come. He struggled in limited action this year (most damage was done during a particularly bad stretch in June) and has been summarily “Laroched” by management. I know it’s frustrating to have to argue with people whose base piece of evidence varies somewhere between “batting average” and “it just doesn’t seem like he’s done anything”, but there’s just not much you can do.

by hca4 on Aug 26, 2008 12:03 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

you're right

but its been like 6 weeks since i discussed salty/laird… i had to get a refresher in before the offseason =)

the preceding post is not nearly as negative or insulting as you think it is

by DSheppard on Aug 26, 2008 12:09 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

His LaRoche-ing

I think it’s more a result of Ron Washington not thinking that he gets the job done defensively. Washington’s positive comments about Ramirez’s defense earlier in the season struck me as an intended contrast to his opinion of Saltalamacchia. I think a new manager would be required for him to get another extended shot here, because of Washington’s attitude and the availability of Teagarden, who fits his stated catching mold of “you just worry about defense.”

Offense doesn't doubt me, but my first and primemost thing is defense and punt return and kickoff return

by zywica on Aug 26, 2008 12:21 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

I thought Wash's comments on Max's defense

were telling also, and a pretty stark contrast to anything he had said about Salty behind the dish.

Warner Madrigal makes Ezequiel Astacio look downright handsome.

by tricer on Aug 26, 2008 12:31 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Could it be

What he said about Maxs’ defense was just another button he was pushing to make Laird play harder. Max didnt do anything to merit that kind of elation from Wash.

by 3bagbeast on Aug 26, 2008 5:50 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

wash influence

along the same lines… i think wash has played a failry heavy hand in cruz’s lack of playing time. all the comments ive read after his initial send down in 2007 seemed to indicate he had little interest in cruz on the mlb team.

the preceding post is not nearly as negative or insulting as you think it is

by DSheppard on Aug 26, 2008 12:35 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

agree

Offense doesn't doubt me, but my first and primemost thing is defense and punt return and kickoff return

by zywica on Aug 26, 2008 12:46 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

This team needs a clear directive for Washington

I don’t think you can blame Washington for playing Laird over Salty, seeing that Wash’s job was very nearly taken from him in May for the team underperforming. If his job is to get the Rangers to win, then he has to have liberty to play his best players (and frankly, Salty wasn’t that this year). If it is his job to play young players for development and so that the team can evaluate them, then he has to be given a little leeway with regard to record.

Now, the team was just bad in April and May, and not just the kids, so I think that having his head on the chopping block was merited. But I have had the feeling that he’s been playing to save hsi job for much of this season. If that is the case, I cannot fault him for playing Laird over a guy who can’t throw guys out, doesn’t have great success calling games, and isn’t hitting well.

by JBImaknee on Aug 26, 2008 12:47 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

"you just worry about defense"

Isn’t this the generally accepted outlook on the catcher position?

Go Strangers.

by hightowersmith on Aug 26, 2008 12:50 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

No, I don't think so

I don’t think you’d see this if that were the case:

Pablo Sandoval 36 .417 .421 .528 .949
Brian McCann 417 .295 .370 .528 .897
Chris Iannetta 251 .267 .379 .514 .893
Ryan Doumit 339 .327 .364 .525 .889
Geovany Soto 419 .282 .365 .496 .862
Joe Mauer 418 .318 .412 .445 .857
Kelly Shoppach 272 .257 .332 .500 .832
Mike Napoli 163 .221 .325 .503 .828
Chris Snyder 270 .248 .360 .467 .827
Miguel Montero 145 .290 .358 .462 .820
John Baker 105 .257 .363 .448 .811
Russell Martin 455 .288 .383 .413 .796
Ramón Castro 125 .248 .319 .464 .783
Chris Coste 232 .272 .324 .453 .777
Jorge Posada 168 .268 .364 .411 .775
A.J. Pierzynski 438 .295 .324 .441 .765
Miguel Olivo 242 .260 .289 .471 .760
Dioner Navarro 339 .292 .349 .404 .753

Some of these guys are good to very good defenders, but if no one was concerned about the other side of the game for that position, you couldn’t see guys like Sandoval or Iannetta on there, and you wouldn’t see so many of the other guys performing well. The catching position is not exclusively a defensive position.

Offense doesn't doubt me, but my first and primemost thing is defense and punt return and kickoff return

by zywica on Aug 26, 2008 1:34 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Laird

He has proven he can hit in the bigs, but he’s also proven he can not hit in the bigs. I’d say he’s got about an equal chance of posting 2007 numbers next season as he does posting 2008 numbers.

"You’re the only here who contributes schtick only." - brettgardner

by trza on Aug 26, 2008 12:00 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Norm just reported that

Millwood, Padilla and Cat made it through waivers.

by thad728 on Aug 26, 2008 10:22 AM CDT   0 recs

TR wrote that previously

Norm doesn’t do much in the way of “reporting” – more “repeating”

by Baider on Aug 26, 2008 10:23 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

There is a

shocker. Go ahead, try and block those waiver moves :)

What's the secret to a long life? "I masturbate a lot"-Ernest Borgnine. http://www.bestweekever.tv/2008/08/14/icymi-ernest-borgnine-reveals-his-secret-for-everlasting-youth/#onepage

by DJCahill on Aug 26, 2008 10:38 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Trading Eddie at the deadline

Not sure it would have netted a significantly better return. I’d prefer they take the 5% chance of making a playoff push than looking for the marginal upgrade in the trade return 4 weeks earlier. Let’s wait and see on Hamburger – the odds are against him, but they’re against everyone in that category (including the Gabby Hernandez types available at the end of July). Perhaps he becomes a useful piece.

One thing I don’t understand in AJM’s post is the “what changed between July 31 and now” sentiment… I realize the odds were against them making it to the post-season a month ago, but that was still before they had a 3-14 run. I know some predicted it would happen, but I don’t think the organization should have dumped players and “waived the white flag” unless they were going to get legitimate returns on the trades. I’m not surprised that that type of deal wasn’t available.

by Baider on Aug 26, 2008 10:28 AM CDT   0 recs

Newberg has these figures in his report on Hamburger

Now granted these are Rookie league, but I’m intrigued

His ERA has jockeyed around the four-run mark all season, but if you zero in on the walks column you see something interesting, and hard to diagnose.

In his first nine appearances this season, spanning 16 innings, Hamburger didn’t walk anyone, striking out 19.

In his next seven appearances, spanning nine innings, he issued 13 walks, striking out 11.

In the remaining 11 games he pitched for Elizabethton, spanning 11.2 innings, Hamburger once again walked nobody, striking out 10.


36.2 IP/ 13BB/ 40K, albeit in rookie league is definitely something you can build on, and all that as a closer.

by awillis111 on Aug 26, 2008 11:24 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

adam

pointed out those very same stats yesterday.

by clark on Aug 26, 2008 11:25 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Yep, and someone

Maybe the good folks at BTIA, needs to interview him about that exact topic ASAP.

Time you enjoy wasting was not wasted.

by t ball on Aug 26, 2008 1:41 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

I don’t think the organization should have dumped players and "waived the white flag" unless they were going to get legitimate returns on the trades.

those A’s should be an exciting team to watch the next couple of seasons.

by oc on Aug 26, 2008 2:24 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

I think the org is trying way too hard

to have their cake and eat it, too. It was awfully apparent at the deadline that the Rangers did not have a legitimate chance at the postseason. While I applaud Daniels stance on getting value in return or not making a deal, in Guardado’s case how much value did they really expect him to have? If the Twins were interested at the deadline surely they would have given up someone higher ranked and/or closer to the big leagues than Hamburger. He may turn out to be a nice find, who knows? They’ve had good success in the last year or two finding good young arms to put in the system. Maybe he’ll be another pleasant surprise like Beau Jones.

At the 2007 deadline Daniels handled the situation masterfully, getting a cornucopia of talent for the future and making the best out the situation the club was in. I give him an A for that job. This year’s handling of the trade deadline gets about a C- or D from me until and unless something real nice happens with a waiver trade before the month is out.

Time you enjoy wasting was not wasted.

by t ball on Aug 26, 2008 10:28 AM CDT   0 recs

Agree to an extent

This is as underwhelmed I’ve been on a trade for a while. I would have preferred to have Eddie anchor the bullpen the rest of the year and let him walk than get a minimal return. Like others have said, is this seriously all we could get for Eddie? I have to think more as offered at the deadline. If we held out on making a deal then because we still hoped to make the playoffs, then I am extremely disappointed. However I think a C- or D is a little harsh. Maybe B- to C range for me.

That being said, I’d prefer to be disappointed in the return for Eddie G in August than Tex last year…. It’s not like it will really bite us in the ass either way.

Plaschke: Scioscia, the former Dodgers catcher, is the model manager who has created an atmosphere of winning.
Junior:It's that simple. Mike Scioscia brings a Glade Plug-In labeled "Winning™" into the clubhouse and everyone who breathes it in gains 15 points in average.

by TheBZA on Aug 26, 2008 10:33 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Yes

Trying to get a bounty for the guys he had to sell this year would have been difficult, but the comination of Nolan and the fact that they were playing pretty well seemed to really cloud their judgment. This deadline reminded much more of old Rangers, who always believed that eight games and four teams out of the playoffs meant that they were right in it.

Offense doesn't doubt me, but my first and primemost thing is defense and punt return and kickoff return

by zywica on Aug 26, 2008 11:31 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

It's kind of been

an ongoing problem with JD (see off-season prior to 2007).

He has no idea how to honestly assess the team’s chances of winning/contending.

Given this team’s starting pitching, the number of walks this thing has allowed, the number of innings the bullpen had pitched, the number of errors by the defense, the run differential…on and on it goes.

There was simply no way this thing was going to finish above .500 muchless contend and if JD saw he couldn’t add to the team at the trade deadline he sure as shat should have been selling.

"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."

by Josey Wales on Aug 26, 2008 11:37 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Both of you fellas are way off on this.

I think you’re both letting your skepticism cloud your judgement. JD has admitted past instances of overestimating the Rangers’ closeness to being competitive, especially 2006 before which the CYoung trade was made. JD is on record that he felt the 2007 squad was an 81-84 win team. The same was said for this year, though I think I recall RW saying he was shooting for 88 wins.

I think .500 is an acceptable expectation for both 2007 and 2008.

Go Rangers!

by rooster on Aug 26, 2008 11:49 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Huh?

I’m letting skepticism cloud my judgment? Okay.

Offense doesn't doubt me, but my first and primemost thing is defense and punt return and kickoff return

by zywica on Aug 26, 2008 11:55 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Moreso Josey in regards to assessing the teams chances to be competitive.

I’m not sure the Rangers posture at the trade deadline was old Rangers thinking. I think it mostly had to do with the market, which wasn’t in their favor. Besides the reasonable expectations for 2007 and 2008 that JD has made public (though not in a mass media outlet), he also said they were in on a front rotation arm that would be under team control for a while. Newberg’s guess is that meant Greinke. Who knows, but that doesn’t sound like old Ranger thinking. The old Ranger management would’ve sent a decent prospect for a patch job in the either the starting rotation or bullpen. Seems to be some skepticism regarding how well JD can handle Nolan’s influence in your thought process, but I don’t yet see it manifested in the team’s decisions.

Here’s the thing that is bothering me about this offseason’s market. The Rangers are pretty much in a position as the Braves when they trade for Teixeira, except the Rangers are looking for an ace, which could mean an even greater overpay than the Braves. A few stream-of-consciousness thoughts:
(1) Maybe Cruz becomes a piece in offseason discussions, if, in fact, it was Greinke the Rangers were discussing.
(2) Too bad Santana didn’t take the Rangers seriously last year. There isn’t a team in the league in a position of “have-to-sell” like the Twins were last year.

Go Rangers!

by rooster on Aug 26, 2008 12:29 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

You know...

Supposedly it is your boy Nolan who was pushing to hold on and contend this year, while Daniels was more inclined to sell…

by Adam J. Morris on Aug 26, 2008 12:11 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

yup

and it freaked me out big time, i really think nolan ruined and i mean ruined an awesome chance to clean out some of these vets while teams were desperate to contend. but he comes in as fresh eyes coming into this season, doesnt understand the situation he’s in, doesnt understand where the rangers have come from and wants to compete.

its sad, b/c i think grant our little blogging buddy kid gives JD better long term advice the week of the deadline this season than nolan did.

"I’m sure you’ve seen Kiker before but I’ll just reiterate that the kid is mean on the mound. He is only 5’10’’ but he is an intimidator. He looks like he hates hitters. He has the juice for pressure situations."
-Jason Parks on Jul 22, 2008 10:08 PM

by Jayslick on Aug 26, 2008 12:48 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

trade grade this season

before deadline: F
after deadline: F – (trading every other day eddie now just pisses me off)

if you lack long term vision until after the deadline to see where you are and how to get to the point to win a WS.

FU!! your fired!!!

and no im not talking about JD…

"I’m sure you’ve seen Kiker before but I’ll just reiterate that the kid is mean on the mound. He is only 5’10’’ but he is an intimidator. He looks like he hates hitters. He has the juice for pressure situations."
-Jason Parks on Jul 22, 2008 10:08 PM

by Jayslick on Aug 26, 2008 12:52 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Semi OT

I wanted to share this with you guys, but didn’t think it was quite diary worthy.

Yesterday I started the Graduate program in Broadcasting at UNT. One of my professors was discussing guests that come in during the semester and she mentioned one of particular importance. She said that Eric Nadel typically speaks to the class at some point. No guarantees, but I certainly threw my arms up in excitement.

Plaschke: Scioscia, the former Dodgers catcher, is the model manager who has created an atmosphere of winning.
Junior:It's that simple. Mike Scioscia brings a Glade Plug-In labeled "Winning™" into the clubhouse and everyone who breathes it in gains 15 points in average.

by TheBZA on Aug 26, 2008 10:29 AM CDT   0 recs

Cool.

Post a summary after.

Time you enjoy wasting was not wasted.