Thursday a.m. things
by Adam J. Morris on Feb 5, 2009 9:25 AM CST
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PrintT.R. Sullivan says he doesn't think Ben Sheets will sign with Texas. No hard information, just a gut feeling.
Sigh.
Meanwhile, Mike Hindman runs through how he expects the Ranger and Redhawk rosters to shake out to start the season. The main surprise is that he has Dustin Nippert in the rotation and Scott Feldman starting the season in the pen, with Feldman moving to the rotation when Brandon McCarthy "makes his triumphant and obligatory return to the DL."
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Hindman's rosters
I knew you were going to include it in your morning notes…
Elvis Andrus starts in AAA. Whose roster spot does he take when called up?
Is Duran the back up SS? MY?
Will Nippert make the Rangers rotation?
Did Hindman jinx BMac?
Do all minor league teams normally have 24 man rosters? Why not 25?
Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
McCarthy - "obligatory and triumphant return to the DL"
good line
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
I thought MJH
was just a stooge for management?
"He will not coddle them. Nolan Ryan doesn’t coddle." - Jeff Passan
mjh says that
Tom Hicks spends enough money on the Ranger payroll and insists this really is a middle market team despite the booming population that makes it a top 5 market, the existence of one of the richest counties (Collin) to draw from and the seemingly infinite level of sports interest in this area.
So yeah, he’s a stooge for management but give him credit for writing a funny line.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"the existence of one of the richest counties (Collin) to draw from"
Can you expand on this a little?
Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
I read a stat
somewhere that stated Collin County is one of, if not the richest per capita counties in the US.
I don’t have the link but if you take a drive thru parts of Plano, McKinney, Frisco and Allen…you can see why this may be true.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
I agree with you
but how does that effect the Rangers? How many make the journey to Arlington per game? Frisco is much closer, cheaper and some might say a better experience. Josey, Hicks has shown in the past that he will spend the money. He just didn’t do it wisely.
Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
He just didn’t do it wisely.
i hope your not talking about the arod contract – most money ever for a contract for a guy who is gonna end up (if healthy) one of the 10 or so, maybe even 5 or so, best players in the HISTORY of the game
i bet babe ruth would get that much if he became a FA in his prime in the last 10 or so years
Scout: He was a first-round pick right? Got a huge bonus?
KG: Oh yeah.
Scout: Well, he spent a lot of it on milkshakes.
by knockoutking on Feb 5, 2009 10:07 AM CST up reply actions
Franky Catt?
lol
Scout: He was a first-round pick right? Got a huge bonus?
KG: Oh yeah.
Scout: Well, he spent a lot of it on milkshakes.
by knockoutking on Feb 5, 2009 10:17 AM CST up reply actions
2002 & 2003
Hicks went on a spending spree in 2002 and 2003. It got him nowhere. The problem with the ARod contract is that Hicks ended up bidding against himself. He probably could have gotten ARod for ~$200MM. Maybe a little less.
http://mlbcontracts.blogspot.com/2005/01/texas-rangers.html
Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
this is correct
but its not like it was money badly spent is my point – there were other “bad” signings, arod was not one of them imho
Scout: He was a first-round pick right? Got a huge bonus?
KG: Oh yeah.
Scout: Well, he spent a lot of it on milkshakes.
by knockoutking on Feb 5, 2009 10:43 AM CST up reply actions
Frisco is a very nice experience
but AA ball is hamburger compared to the filet mignon being served by the major leagues.
After the 2004 seaason, Hicks demonstrated exactly how much money he plans on spending in the future when/if this team ever becomes successful.
Fresh off an 89-73 season with one of the best young infields in baseball and a lot of cost certainity, a minor league system that featured Danks, Eddy V, Chris Young, AG, CJ Wilson, Kinsler (among others), lots of financial flexibility and a bump in attendance from 25,000 to 31,000 Hicks raised the prices on tickets and parking and left the payroll the same.
If this franchise ever reaches that point of respectability/legitimate contention again and there is a corresponding rise in attendance, we know what Tom Hicks will do with the budget – not an effing thing.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
speaking of hamburger...
if anyone is ever in DC go to Ray’s Hell Burger in Arlington, VA
never had a burger that was that good, not homemade – not anywhere
Scout: He was a first-round pick right? Got a huge bonus?
KG: Oh yeah.
Scout: Well, he spent a lot of it on milkshakes.
by knockoutking on Feb 5, 2009 10:17 AM CST up reply actions
its amazing if you like good burgers
courthouse metro – walk down wilson ave i think its 1713 Wilson Ave? its in a little shopping center
Scout: He was a first-round pick right? Got a huge bonus?
KG: Oh yeah.
Scout: Well, he spent a lot of it on milkshakes.
by knockoutking on Feb 5, 2009 10:44 AM CST up reply actions
On the square in Sanger ...
King’s Sandwich shop in an old gas station there. Great burgers.
There’s an old family-run hamburger stand in Jacksboro called Herd’s that is really good, too.
The moves being made are too extra for my taste.
if you say the same over and over
you eventually get people to believe it’s true, whether it is or not. that’s why politicians and political parties send out armies to spew “talking points”
my position on payroll is that it is not and never has been the reason for the Rangers woes and simply raising payroll won’t fix anything; with good scouting, drafting and development clubs can and do overcome payroll limitations
please find the link to where I wrote “Tom Hicks spends enough money on Ranger payroll” .. I don’t remember ever writing that line
I have written that there are almost no clubs who spend inconsistently with their revenue rankings (and I’ve documented that).
Here’s the link to the piece I wrote in 2007 with which you seem to have become frighteningly obsessed.
http://rangersfarmreport.mlblogs.com/archives/2007/08/money_cant_buy_.html
agreed
As we go forward into 2010 and beyond, attendance and revenue will start to increase as the team starts winning. The Rangers will have to increase their payroll. They will have a number of young players that they will need to lock up in some guaranteed contracts. There payroll may not exceed $100MM but it could get close.
Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
and that's the name of the game
the best way to spend big money is to keep your own guys, guys you know from the ground up, guys you want to keep
I also think
that around 2011 or 2012 they either sign a FA COF or trade for one. I prefer the trade route but it will depend on the farm system.
Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
Is Borbon not cutting it by then?
(Wife) "So what do you want to watch on the T.V.? UFC or porn?"
(Husband) "Hmm... well, porn, I guess."
You're right
my eyes totally passed over seeing that “O”
(Wife) "So what do you want to watch on the T.V.? UFC or porn?"
(Husband) "Hmm... well, porn, I guess."
Andruw Jones
seems like a good fit at that point.
(Wife) "So what do you want to watch on the T.V.? UFC or porn?"
(Husband) "Hmm... well, porn, I guess."
mjh, nice to see you're actually responding
instead of employing the usual “reverse soup nazi” routine where you head directly for the hills shrieking “no baseball takes for you” when somebody has the gall to question you when you come down from Mt. Ranger with stone tablets under each arm.
You’ve written other articles about the Ranger payroll in the past and you’ve defended the amount of money Tom Hicks has spent recently on payroll.
In 2007 there were some teams with payrolls smaller than the Rangers that were doing better but what happened the next year? San Diego lost 99 games. Arizona finished 82-80 but was also under 10 games under .500 after May 1. The White Sox took a step backwards in 2007 but won their division in 2008.
Yes, Tampa Bay made it to the 2008 World Series but it took an extravagant number of good things for that to happen. I believe that Tampa was the only team in the bottom half of MLB team payrolls to make the playoffs (could be wrong) and most of those teams didn’t finish above .500.
The reason the value of the Rangers has not kept pace with other teams is because a) it has been mostly a shity product b) Tom Hicks makes a yearly practice of shitting in the caps of Ranger fans. Disagree?
Cuban bought the Mavs in 1999 for $ 280 million and that team is now worth close to $ 500 million. Why did that happen?
I don’t believe a high payroll is the end all solution to this team. You need to grow your own and keep the right players, make good trades and then sign the right free agents. When you have an 89-73 team that is very young and has one of the lowest payrolls in the league, you don’t sign mf’ing Richard Hidalgo & Pedro Astacio when Carlos Beltran & Derek Lowe are available. You do that, players get pissed off, can’t wait to leave and the fans get wise to you. If you’re not careful attendance will drop by more than 600,000 in a few years.
For better or worse, you are an opinion maker within DFW baseball circles and you can bet that Tom Hicks loves it when you say this team spends enough money on payroll or that signing free agent pitchers is not a good thing. Signing DLowe, Ted Lilly, or Gil Meche when available would have been a thing for this team to do…if they were truly concerned with winning.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
You need to seriously...
get over yourself.
Your schtick and bs hardly deserves a reply from anyone. Especially since you never really reply to anyone yourself. You just keep recyling the same stupid points over and over again regardless of what anyone says.
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
by slc ranger on Feb 5, 2009 11:11 AM CST up reply actions 7 recs
+1
Scout: He was a first-round pick right? Got a huge bonus?
KG: Oh yeah.
Scout: Well, he spent a lot of it on milkshakes.
by knockoutking on Feb 5, 2009 11:31 AM CST up reply actions
+4
"It doesn't look like he's trying. It kinda pisses me off," "He could throw 110 if he tried. The way it explodes out of his hand is really something special." ~ B-Mac on Feliz.
by Kinslerhomer on Feb 5, 2009 12:17 PM CST up reply actions
mjh came to me.
I simply gave him credit for writing a good line about Brandon McCarthy.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
still waiting
for the part where you show me that I’ve said “Tom Hicks spends enough money on payroll”
look: what I’m saying and have always said as far as I can recall is that great scouting and development will trump money
the other reason I wrote about that issue so often was that I simply got bored with the fact that every single columnist and radio host in town insisted that the reason the Rangers struggled was that Hicks didn’t spend money
I wanted to change the conversation to something more interesting not only because I was bored with the status-quo BS being fed to us by these guys, but because once I researched it, I found that throwing $$ at FA’s didn’t really amount to much for anybody
but I’m happy to have become such an important part of your life Josey and I’m equally flattered and frightened that you have this incomprehensible obsession with trying to dictate how people view me and what I write
your passion for the Rangers and being part of the general dialogue about the club is impressive, but I’m quite positive that I’m not worthy of all of this attention coming from you
Hicks not spending enough money on
payroll is a part of the problem, not the problem.
Hiring an inexperienced, very affordable and incompetent dumb ass like Jon Daniels to run your team is just as big a problem.
I don’t know or care how other people view you. I just find it hysterically funny that somebody like you who is as knowledgeable, intelligent and well versed in all things Great Game has such a thin-skin and will run for zee hills if criticized or not made to feel appreciated. What the f is that!?!?!
If you’re brassy enough to put an opinion out there, you should be tough enough to take all the criticisms that come your way without throwing a tantrum.
It’s also not a crime to admit when you are wrong. Trust me, the sun will come up the next day.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
right
I’m a jerk. No argument there. But where did I write that “Hicks spends enough money on payroll”?
I don't recall anybody
saying you’re a “jerk,” mjh. Certainly not me.
Given that the Rangers reside in the number 5 media market, do you believe when the team has the 21st highest payroll that Tom Hicks is spending enough money on payroll?
Before answering the question remember…
The 1999 payroll was $ 81 million. That team won 95 games and attendance was almost 2.8 million.
The 2008 payroll was $ 68 million. That team won 79 games and attendance hit a 20 year low of 1.9 million.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
How many games did we win with our payrolls over 100 million?
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.
Was having a high payroll
THE problem?
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
no
bad scouting and development was the problem; if you aren’t good at scouting and development, what you spend is irrelevant … and that’s always been my point
You will never hear me
disagree that scouting and development are not important. That’s kind of a basic premise, isn’t it?
NOT spending money (along with crappy trades by the incompetent affordable GM) to address specific weaknesses or retaining the players you have scouted and developed has been one of the Rangers biggest problems since 2004.
You didn’t answer my question…
Given that the Rangers reside in the number 5 media market that continues to boom, do you believe when the team has the 21st highest payroll that Tom Hicks is spending enough money on payroll?
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
if you look it up
you’ll find that most clubs ranking in payroll spending is roughly the same as their ranking in revenues rather than market size
So does that mean
you believe that given that the Rangers are a top 5 media market, Tom Hicks has been and still spends enough money on payroll?
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
beats me
his spending on payroll is roughly commensurate with his ranking in payroll which is pretty much what all MLB owners do
his spending spree at the beginning of this decade was one of the rare exceptions to that rule
by mjh on Feb 5, 2009 1:06 PM CST up reply actions
So I guess my earlier take
that you believe Tom Hicks spends enough on payroll is indeed, correct.
Wasn’t that easy?
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
When did you become
mjh’s rep?
He said “you’ll find that most clubs ranking in payroll spending is roughly the same as their ranking in revenues rather than market size.”
Unless I’m reading something else into his thoughts, he believes the Ranger payroll is at the right level given their revenue which means he agrees with what Tom Hicks is doing.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
Do you spend more than you make?
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.
Not any more but I don't
own a baseball team that’s appreciated in value by $ 100 million over the last 10 years nor is my said baseball team being met with a tsunami of indifference by my fan base.
If memory serves, the Rangers showed profits (after Hicks paid himself and everybody else in his family he has working for the team) of $ 25 million, $ 20 million and $ 11 million from 2005-2007.
Congrats to him for making that much money but his product has sucked for several years and his strategy has cost him a million fans in 10 years, 600,000 fans in 3 years.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
Where are you getting these numbers from?
I’m not claiming they’re false; I’m just curious. Especially your claim that the Rangers have lost 600,000 fans in 3 years…seems dubious.
See the link
http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/TEX/attend.shtml
Ranger attendance in 2005 was 2,525, 221…JD was hired… and in 2008 it fell to 1,945,677.
This thing had an attendance of 2.83 million in 2001 when the team won 73 games (they won only 71 games in 2000) meaning attendance has fallen by close to 900,000 in 7 years.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
Does JD set ticket prices?
Because I imagine the increase in those along with the economy have had a hell of a lot more to do with the declining attendance than the GM.
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.
Ah, I was confused by the wording
Attendance numbers have fallen by 600,000 over the last 3 years. Obviously, that does not mean that the team lost 600,000 fans.
I guess saying the team lost 600,000 “fans” sounded more dramatic.
Anyways, feel free to answer my Nolan question anytime.
JD, by himself and without an
experienced person like Nolan as his boss, isn’t very good at his job.
Front office dumbassery magically disappeared when Nolan became JD’s boss.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
You're not putting much thought into this...
1. Nolan decided to keep JD and Wash and has publicly endorsed them. Does that mean you’re on board with that as well?
2. What kind of role do you think Nolan is taking in preventing “front office dumbassery”? Do you believe Nolan is micromanaging JD? Does JD still have final say over personnel decisions?
3. And when you talk about Nolan’s experience, just what experience does he have in making personnel decision (the kind of thing you don’t think JD is equipped to hanlde)?
You’re being very vague with your support of Nolan. Do you have a rational reason for having faith in Nolan, or is it more of an emotional reaction based on your appreciation of Nolan the player?
x
1) I am very obviously not on board with Nolan keeping both Washinton & JD.
2) My opinion is that JD handles most of the routine day to day stuff and minor trades (dealing Loe to Japan) but Nolan (as Hicks has validated) signs off on the big deals and is the person from the front office that players respect.
3) Nolan spent 27 years in the bigs and knows more about who can play and pitch and who can’t than JD.
I loved Nolan as a player and initially liked him coming here because I knew JD needed a boss.
The fact that Nolan has kept both JD & Washington makes me doubt that he knows what the hell he is doing.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
Nolan spent 27 years in the bigs and knows more about who can play and pitch and who can’t than JD.
How many of those years did he spend making personnel decisions? Players don’t necessarily make good front office people. Would you want MIcheal Young running the front office?
Can you identify one personnel decision that Nolan is responsible for?
The fact that Nolan has kept both JD & Washington makes me doubt that he knows what the hell he is doing.
You know, there is another alternative. Nolan may just like the direction the team is heading. Nolan may have been impressed by the rebuilding effort, and chose not to destabalize the franchise by firing JD and Wash. (Think about it. If you fire JD, most of his personnel department and scouting department and minor league coordinators will find other jobs elsewhere.)
The reason why I keep pinning you down on this is because your admiration for Nolan as President and your hatred of JD as GM cannot be reconciled. Supporting Nolan while trashing JD is intellectulaly dishonest.
Nolan does lots of other things
with this team that are positive that have nothing to do with JD.
The fact that no dumb trades have been made since Nolan became JD’s boss is a major bonus.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
I agree that Nolan is a beneficial member of the organization
But what about those benefits you claim that do involve areas that have alot to do with JD. For example, your most recent assertion:
The fact that no dumb trades have been made since Nolan became JD’s boss is a major bonus.
You are implying that Nolan had something to do with preventing a bad JD trade. As if JD was about to run out and trade away all the talent he’s collected, and Nolan sat him down in time-out.
You have this strange believe that Nolan is here to clean up JD’s mistakes, even though Nolan has no prior personnel experience and continues to support JD. Why? Is it because Galloway told you that?
And finally, if no dumb trades have been made in the last year, doesn’t JD deserve the bulk of that credit?
Tom Hicks intimated last year
that one of the reasons Nolan Ryan is here is to make sure no more John Danks-type trades go down so why would JD get credit for NOT screwing the pooch when a front office governer of sorts is in place to make sure that doesn’t happen again?
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
Yeah, but Tom Hicks is full of shit
I love how you believe Tom Hicks only whenever it is convenient for your bashing of JD (same with how you only believe Galloway when it helps your argument).
During that same interview, Hicks also said that we should never trade pitchers that were drafted in the first round as a rule (referring to the Danks trade).
Anyways, that leads me back to an earlier question. If you believe that Nolan is here to keep JD from screwing up, then why wouldn’t Nolan just fire JD when he had the chance? And if Nolan isn’t smart enough to fire JD, then why do you think he’s smart enough to keep JD from making mistakes?
Your whole premise is nonsense.
OK
But this is a business. Hicks is in it to make money. Winning ultimately will make you the most money. But if you aren’t winning then you can’t go out and spend more than you bring in.
What FAs the last couple years would have helped us win? Not a couple more games but win as in make the playoffs? There aren’t any. And yet we were still involved in negotiations with Zito, 3rd in the bidding for Dice-K, Hunter, etc.
Based on how this team is constructed with as many good young players we don’t need to have a huge payroll to have the same record we have now. And increasing the payroll doesn’t guarantee us anything more than exactly what we have got anyway. So as a business decision its the right thing to do to spend what you make. Of course from a fans point of view its easy to simply say go spend all this money. Maybe if you had to write the checks you wouldn’t complain so much
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.
You've got it all wrong
The only number that counts is major league payroll. Nevermind the draft day bonuses given out for the #1 minor league system, or the international free agents, or the new DR baseball academy, or the juiced up scouting staff. None of these long term foundation things matter. The only thing that counts is the major league payroll.
And the only thing that should determine payroll is metro area population, not a silly thing like revenues.
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
Yeah my bad
I mean when you have the richest county in that metroplex area you should be drawing plenty of people. Nevermind the fact that its easily and hour each way to the stadium.
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.
Dude, if we just started spending on FAs,
we’d have to let some of our prospects go. Not worth it. Sabathia would not have led us to the playoffs next year, and bc of the length of the contract, we wouldn’t be able to keep some of our own players down the line. 40-man roster…. Galarraga… think!
I think it's semantics
he’s not saying they are “spending enough.” It’s that they are spending appropriately given the revenue streams. There are not very many multi-million dollar business that keep running year to year by throwing money at their issues.
"He will not coddle them. Nolan Ryan doesn’t coddle." - Jeff Passan
he runs the team poorly
which leads to poor revenues; he spends roughly like most other owners do
by mjh on Feb 5, 2009 2:00 PM CST up reply actions
"he runs the team poorly"
Can you name specific examples where Hicks has run the team poorly?
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
yeah
constantly changing directions in methods and management; allowing Buck Showalter to dictate personnel decisions; spending four years trying to buy a pennant; firing Doug Melvin because Scott Boras told him to do it; hiring John Hart when he was obviously only in it for the paycheck…..
by mjh on Feb 5, 2009 2:49 PM CST up reply actions
You and Jamey are
both very big on shielding JD and blaming Buck. JD owns the Chris Young/AG trade lock,stock and barrel.
I wasn’t a fan at all of John Hart but it can be argued that this organization was never in better shape going forward than where they were after the 2004 season.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
hmm
I’ve been extremely critical of Daniels. I panned the Padres deal, I panned the White Sox deal. I took issue with the Michael Young contract. I thought the Catalanotto contract was pointless and said so. But it would have been really stupid for Hicks to hire a young GM and then suddenly get an itchy trigger finger when he made a few mistakes. Buck didn’t like Chris Young or AG and he advised Daniels accordingly — that’s just a fact, like it or not. Daniels should not have listened to Buck Showalter. He made a mistake in doing so.
by mjh on Feb 5, 2009 3:25 PM CST up reply actions
mjh's take on Tom Hicks
and payroll is still a little fuzzy to me (and he has written multiple articles on the payroll topic and how DFW is in his mind a middle market) but the fact that he admits that Hicks runs the team poorly resolves the issue in my mind.
mjh is not a stooge for Ranger management.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
LOL
glad we settled that. Boffo!
"He will not coddle them. Nolan Ryan doesn’t coddle." - Jeff Passan
You have to consider:
How much more we’ve spent on signing bonuses attempting to draft the best players,
How much we’ve spent on LA scouting AND signings.
How much we’ve spent on ballpark upgrades
Speaking of run to the hills if criticized...
I’m still waiting for an answer on this
I’d suggest that Hindman is doing a better job of responding to criticisms than you are.
cstorm15
If anything, I’m the anti-Hindman and do quite the opposite of runnng to the hills when confronted.
I don’t answer every question thrown at me or drop the gloves with everybody who drops them in front of me. Quite often, I don’t see something thrown at me or I decide not to go down a meaningless rabbit hole (this happens quite a bit with the noted cheerleader and sunshine pumper known as gdawg).
I’m more comfortable with Nolan riding herd over JD than I was when JD was completely in charge.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
You spent a long time there not answering my question...
I’m more comfortable with Nolan riding herd over JD than I was when JD was completely in charge.
But my question was why. Why are you more comfortable with Nolan (especially after you said he was “f’ing up big time”)? Do you think that Nolan is a good personnel guy? Is he a good negotiator? What is it about Nolan that inspires your confidence?
Well, I fight with people all day, every day
And over the past seven or eight years, I’ve probably taken more civil cases through to trial & jury verdict than any other attorney in Dallas County. I’ve been a lawyer for 10 years and I’ve had over 250 civil jury verdicts. So it’s not entirely true that I run to the hills every time I’m confronted.
In terms of my baseball writing, I’ve certainly been guilty of being short with those who disagree with me.
But today’s your day. I’ll happily spar all day long with you if you like. I’ve got a deposition starting in a few minutes so I’ll be out of pocket until about 2 or 2:30 and then after that, we can continue if you’d like.
Then tomorrow, I’ve got to turn my attention back to my day job as I have two young children, college tuitions to save up for, a mortgage to pay and a mother to support.
by mjh on Feb 5, 2009 1:04 PM CST up reply actions
well
claims in dallas are not worth that much money for you to be fighting all day everyday!
"Hey, I think it's easy for guys to hit .300 and stay in the big leagues. Hit .200 and try to stick around as long as I did; I think it's a much greater accomplishment. That's hard."-- Bob Uecker
by dmurphnextrusygreer on Feb 5, 2009 1:27 PM CST up reply actions
not sure what youve been reading
i have yet to read mjh say that tom hicks “spends enough on payroll.” higher payroll simply isnt the best way to go about building a winner. reading comprehension obviously isnt a strength of yours
MJH/Hicks
I read Mike’s statement above as a statement that most teams tend to tie their payroll expenditures to their revenue, and that the Rangers weren’t any different in that regard.
That doesn’t strike me as a defense of Hicks’ spending on payroll; considering the population of DFW, it’s almost an indictment of Hicks’ failure to capitalize on potential revenue sources.
"I dont care to debate with a troll." - Sharky
In fact
Now that I go back and look at it, that’s almost exactly what Mike said above:
“he runs the team poorly, which leads to poor revenues; he spends roughly like most other owners do.”
"I dont care to debate with a troll." - Sharky
This quote's better:
Nolan does lots of other things
"...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
Yes we can! November 04, 2008
feliz
to AA i would presume
was i the only one who laughed pretty hard when i saw this gem:
Bullpen: Eyre (RH), Bannister (RH), Ballard (LH) Corey (RH), Lizard (RH), Daigle (RH), Kometani (RH), Gordon (RH), J. Torres (LH)
Scout: He was a first-round pick right? Got a huge bonus?
KG: Oh yeah.
Scout: Well, he spent a lot of it on milkshakes.
Feliz & AAA
If Feliz goes to Frisco, does he go to OK before a possible sept. callup or straight from AA to the bigs? What about Holland?
holland i think almost for sure starts at AAA
feliz probably starts at AA
i would have no problem with him going to AAA at some point this year (and i bet he spends a fair amt of time there if he is doing as well against AA hittesr as he did last yr)
Scout: He was a first-round pick right? Got a huge bonus?
KG: Oh yeah.
Scout: Well, he spent a lot of it on milkshakes.
yeah that whole crew is not going to cut it
I’ve got: Garr, Laughter, rupe, ballard, mathis, hyatt and gabbard
Eyre and Torres might find their way in there
The depth in the system means that those too old and with too little talent will not make a squad:
Kometani, Corey, Gordon, Lizard, Daigle – released or stashed in extended
Bannister to AA where he can not suck there like last year before his promotion to AAA
AJ Murray and Batista are probable for extended
I have no idea where Schlact should go but it should be to the AA or AAA pen
daigle
isnt he worth keeping around for his wife ;)
lol
lizard wasnt that bad at AAA IIRC last year, ate a lot of innings
Scout: He was a first-round pick right? Got a huge bonus?
KG: Oh yeah.
Scout: Well, he spent a lot of it on milkshakes.
by knockoutking on Feb 5, 2009 11:32 AM CST up reply actions
Frisco
but I could be wrong. He has more work to do on his all-around game than Holland does and it seems likely to me that they’ll want him to work those out in Frisco.
Not sure how you feel about this
but I tend to think the difference between AA and AAA is not that great. You have the same high ceiling talent at each level. The only difference is that you have more ML journeyman at AAA, with fewer at AA, and career org guys (nonprospects) at both AA and AAA.
I think Feliz should stay in AA so that we can have as many SP(with talent) with ML experience in the AAA rotation to call up when needed. Mathis will be replaced with a NRI like Jennings or Benson for that very reason.
Ben Sheets
I suspect he Roger Clemens’s this year – go unsigned through April and May, possibly let his health improve a bit, and be a high value mid-season commodity. A fresh Ben Sheets in mid-June has to be worth more than his offer now
A fresh Ben Sheets in mid-June has to be worth more than his offer now
I don’t see it. If the player’s healthy enough to pitch — and maybe that’s not the case — a full-season contract pays him more, and even better if he can consummate some incentives and play a second year.
Weird situation, though. I still think he’s a Ranger when the dust settles.
Go Strangers.
by hightowersmith on Feb 5, 2009 9:43 AM CST up reply actions
Not necessarily
If he’s not healthy right now, and needs a couple more months off, then I think he could get a lot more doing that than if he signed a one-year deal on the cheap. Nothing would be worse long-term for him than doing that and getting injured – he’d fade off the map faster than Mark Mulder.
Anyone know
if this rumor on ESPN is the same as or based on TR’s “gut feeling”? I’m not an Insider…although I did enjoy the film ‘The Insider’
Purgatory's kind of like the in-betweeny one. You weren't really shit, but you weren't all that great either. Like Tottenham.
Figured so
…
Purgatory's kind of like the in-betweeny one. You weren't really shit, but you weren't all that great either. Like Tottenham.
There are no such things as a dumb question...Right?
Padron my ignorance but what is the definition of LOOGY?
lefty one out guy, I think.
"It doesn't look like he's trying. It kinda pisses me off," "He could throw 110 if he tried. The way it explodes out of his hand is really something special." ~ B-Mac on Feliz.
Thank you.
Was there some thing wrong with “situational lefty?”
I am a little slow to adapt to the text message era.
Just trying to keep up.
I think that’s more a BA-originated term?
Go Strangers.
by hightowersmith on Feb 5, 2009 10:05 AM CST up reply actions
Here's one I made this morning...
Purgatory's kind of like the in-betweeny one. You weren't really shit, but you weren't all that great either. Like Tottenham.
someone
at BP (sheehan?) called an xOOGY – L or R lol
Scout: He was a first-round pick right? Got a huge bonus?
KG: Oh yeah.
Scout: Well, he spent a lot of it on milkshakes.
by knockoutking on Feb 5, 2009 10:00 AM CST up reply actions
why 'sigh'?
you think he’s healthy enough to pitch 130+ innings this year and next?
Stability is key, and JD is a Beast.
Jindal - 2012
"AMMIITAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABHH!!!"
dude
"My mother always taught me that if the only thing you have to say is,
‘(Expletive) Dave Samson,’ then don’t say anything at all.
So I’m not going to say anything at all.
Is my mother the greatest or what?"
- Mariners GM Bill Bavasi, after signing Ichiro to a $90 million contract
pitch and catch with your lover of course.
stupid question
(Wife) "So what do you want to watch on the T.V.? UFC or porn?"
(Husband) "Hmm... well, porn, I guess."
If you go that route
it has to be special, and you can’t look cheap in any way. Something extravagant. Really, though, it’s not like you’re going to spend 24 hours with her on Valentines Day, and even if it weren’t that day, would you really spend 24 hours concentrating on pitchers and catchers reporting? Do you V-Day stuff, then catch up on baseball by reading the news late that night or the next morning. Same goes for anniversaries, birthdays, etc.
It’s politics and banking. You store up capital for days when you want to do something baseball related.
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
Does pitchers and catchers reporting
mean anything anyway? Its always kind of an anticlimactic event…
It's kind of embarrasing calling them pitchers.
You just don't know when to keep your mouth shut, do you Saxy boy?
by oc on Feb 5, 2009 1:04 PM CST up reply actions
I really hope McCarthy is healthy and has a good year
if for no other reason than because I am getting tired of reading the same worn out lines about his inevitable return to the DL this season.
JD has to sign sheets
IMO he has to make the signing because of the possible upside/downside consequences. If he signs him and he has health problems he can say we knew it was a risk – you still get the fan buzz and it’s only Hicks money that is wasted. If he fails to sign him and he has an All-Star season somewhere it will just add to the critics that say he can’t get difference making talent at the major league level. It will be a whiff similar to Josh Beckett. Probably be the long overdue last straw to him keeping his job.
Foolish consistency is the hobgobblin of little minds - Emerson
good point
What is the downside? It’s not like any money used to sign Ben Sheets would otherwise go to another quality ML starter.
"drawing walks is an overrated trait in my eyes."
"i do believe we could have 4 30 start pitchers in the rotation."
-- both these genius remarks brought to you by our resident guru, bigsteve
"something doesn't feel right"
you can say that again. are one year deals to pitch here realistic for anyone other than rehab projects at least 2 years removed from a successful season?
Feldman
I don’t understand why people want to throw Feldman back in the bullpen so fast. Why would the Rangers switch him from a reliever to a starter for one season if they were just going to switch him back again? They knew last year that there would be a logjam of starters right now. Feldman wasn’t that bad as a starter last year. Hes not going to put up sexy numbers or pitch lights out but hes durable and consistent. To me hes about as assured of a rotation spot as Millwood and Padilla are.
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.
He's the best #4 or #5 starter the Rangers have had in years
(Wife) "So what do you want to watch on the T.V.? UFC or porn?"
(Husband) "Hmm... well, porn, I guess."
I think there is a big difference between putting Feldman in the bullpen to open a spot for Ben Sheets or Eric Hurley as opposed to Dustin Nippert. In the former situation, you are opening a spot for a more established (Sheets) or a younger, higher upside player (Hurley). Of course with Hurley out and Sheets probably not coming to Texas, it seems like Feldman should be a lock at this point to start the season in the rotation. Removing Feldman for Nippert would be a bad idea. Nippert can start the year in the pen. Feldman is younger and has already had more major league success.
by Stephen Rushin on Feb 5, 2009 11:36 AM CST up reply actions
Feldman
If we signed Sheets I would still hope Feldman gets a spot in the rotation. He showed me alot last year and I think he can build off that and have a solid season this year.
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.
He doesn't have to be no
I would like him to but he doesn’t have to be. If we signed Sheets I would be perfectly happy rolling with a rotation of Sheets, Millwood, Padilla, McCarthy, and Feldman with Harrison down in OKC ready for when/if an injury occurs
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.
same here
its not like harrison was a world saver last year outside of wins-losses
and injuries are GOING to happen
Scout: He was a first-round pick right? Got a huge bonus?
KG: Oh yeah.
Scout: Well, he spent a lot of it on milkshakes.
by knockoutking on Feb 5, 2009 11:54 AM CST up reply actions
umm nippert has a TON of upside himself (im going to ingore the other stuff)
http://www.fangraphs.com/winss.aspx?team=Rangers&pos=all&stats=pit&qual=0&type=4&season=2008&month=0
had an avg MPH on his FB of 93.5 (which would have been ~10th in MLB if he qualified IP wise)
nippert is exactly the kind of guy we SHOULD take a chance on, maybe not over feldman but over someone like jennings, we shuold without a doubt
Scout: He was a first-round pick right? Got a huge bonus?
KG: Oh yeah.
Scout: Well, he spent a lot of it on milkshakes.
by knockoutking on Feb 5, 2009 11:44 AM CST up reply actions
nippert also had the 4th highets BABIP
had a FIP even with rupe/padilla
from looking at fangraphs, man CJ was BAD last year
hopefully it gets all straight this year
Scout: He was a first-round pick right? Got a huge bonus?
KG: Oh yeah.
Scout: Well, he spent a lot of it on milkshakes.
by knockoutking on Feb 5, 2009 11:53 AM CST up reply actions
Sure
Nippert has a lot of upside and was ranked as one of the better pitching prospects in the game at one point. He also was pretty unluck last year according to FIP, etc.
But I can’t bring myself to say that Nippert should be given the nod in the starting rotation over McCarthy, Harrison, or Feldman. McCarthy probably has the highest upside of the group. Harrison improved as the season went on and also has the upside of a #3 type starter. Feldman, despite having a lower ceiling than Nippert, was a solid back-end of the rotation pitcher last season and has already somewhat established himself.
I think the proper place for Nippert is as a long man for now. He has been given many opportunities to succeed and thus far has been very underwhelming. WIth McCarthy, Millwood, and Padilla in the rotation, we have plenty of injury risks. We won’t go with the same 5 pitchers all season. Nippert will still get a chance at some point.
But I think we need to give the first opportunity to McCarthy, Feldman, and Harrison. They have all had more major league success than Nippert, they are younger, and McCarthy (in my opinion) has more upside than Nippert.
Of course, I completely agree that Nippert should get the first opportunity at the rotation if someone gets hurt (over a Jennings/Benson type pitcher). But I think that he should start the year in the bullpen.
by Stephen Rushin on Feb 5, 2009 11:57 AM CST up reply actions
im not disagreeing with most of what you have said
i dont know if i would give harrison a spot over nippert, but i would give the other 2 spots over nippert
i think i can agree w/ nippert as long man for now, but he should probably be the spot starter
i tink were on the same page
Scout: He was a first-round pick right? Got a huge bonus?
KG: Oh yeah.
Scout: Well, he spent a lot of it on milkshakes.
by knockoutking on Feb 5, 2009 11:59 AM CST up reply actions
Harrison has the ceiling of a #3
there is no way he loses his spot in the rotation.
Also, the last time Nippert “had a lot of upside” was back in 2003 before his injury. He’ll be 28 this year, has below ave #s at AAA, horrible #s in the majors and has only started 11 games in the majors (vs 61 relief appearances) for a reason; he can’t cut it as a starter. As for his velo, the harder he throws it the harder they hit it. Fangraphs doesnt show that but if you watched him pitch, you understand it. Nippert is now what he always will be – a borderline bullpen guy.
what do you think of the rest of the rotation options
and some of the other guys
Scout: He was a first-round pick right? Got a huge bonus?
KG: Oh yeah.
Scout: Well, he spent a lot of it on milkshakes.
by knockoutking on Feb 5, 2009 12:48 PM CST up reply actions
There aren't any really
if Sheets doesn’t sign. There is more competition for middle and long-relief. If sheets signs I think both feldman and nippert will make the team, feldman in MR where he has had success before (with the flexibility to pitch in a # of roles) and Nippert in LR. Competition for the 6th and 7th spots in the bullpen (feldman is a lock if he is not starting) would seem to come down to: Eyre, nippert, gabbard, mendoza, rupe, mathis, and gordon. You could throw in Hyatt and ballard as well. Tie goes to anyone without options.
Feldman
He had more success last year as a starter than hes had as a middle reliever
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.
Well with sheets out
it is a moot point: Harrison, McCarthy, Feldman, 3-5
I forgot to add
UGH…it is going to get ugly again this season.
Anybody going to change their
vote on AJM’s over/under poll of runs allowed?
Pretty much looks like the same crew that allowed 967 runs is coming back wand will be allowed to write Chapter 2 of their horror story.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
And if one gets hurt
the Nippert with possible Diamond if he shows something during ST. Rupe has an outsid echance also. He has said that he wants to start.
Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
Arias
MJH, curious why you think the Rangers would go with Duran over Arias as the utility guy? Is it strictly his shoulder not being healthy enough to play SS which is really the only position our utility guy will be playing.
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.
the only problem with Duran
is that he sucks. And don’t get me wrong, I like his goofy, dimpled smile. He has always seemed a little Rudy-esque to me. But I think he peaked in ‘07 at Frisco. I really can’t see him sporting an OPS at or above .700, and it isn’t like his defense is phenomenal.
The reason he peaked
was because he was brought up waaaaaaaaaaaaaay to soon and then sat the bench most of the time. I don’t think he will be anything more than a utility guy in the majors anyway but I would not brought him up last year to play as sparingly as he did. That was a travesty. I think he would benefit greatly from everyday playing time in OKC to start the 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.
In case anyone wants it here's the Nolan audio from yesterday:
"It doesn't look like he's trying. It kinda pisses me off," "He could throw 110 if he tried. The way it explodes out of his hand is really something special." ~ B-Mac on Feliz.
hmm
after looking at fangraphs, felix hernandez is even more of a badass than i had at first realized
pitch speed:
2nd in FB
1st in SL
1st in CB
2nd in CH
Scout: He was a first-round pick right? Got a huge bonus?
KG: Oh yeah.
Scout: Well, he spent a lot of it on milkshakes.
heh
he was the 7th most valuable hitter for the mariners last year by dollar value
LOL
Scout: He was a first-round pick right? Got a huge bonus?
KG: Oh yeah.
Scout: Well, he spent a lot of it on milkshakes.
by knockoutking on Feb 5, 2009 12:02 PM CST up reply actions
That change-up velo
isn’t exactly the best thing in the world
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
well compare who else is at the top of the changeup velo also
Scout: He was a first-round pick right? Got a huge bonus?
KG: Oh yeah.
Scout: Well, he spent a lot of it on milkshakes.
The change-up
It doesn’t matter if you have the highest velocity. Its about the difference between your change-up velocity and your fastball velocity. That’s really the whole point of having an off-speed pitch.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
Will Sheets need surgery?
Wow.
The Texas Rangers and Sheets reached an agreement on a two-year contract late last week and only a physical stood in the way of the deal being completed. But everything changed once it was determined that Sheets had a torn flexor tendon that might require surgery.
The Rangers could still pursue Sheets with a deal that would allow him to do his rehabilitation work with them in hopes that he would eventually pitch at a high level again. But that doesn’t appear to be the case.
“We’ve maintained contact but I’m not optimistic at this point,” general manager Jon Daniels said Thursday morning.
Go Strangers.
it's a fanshot...
"It doesn't look like he's trying. It kinda pisses me off," "He could throw 110 if he tried. The way it explodes out of his hand is really something special." ~ B-Mac on Feliz.
by Kinslerhomer on Feb 5, 2009 12:55 PM CST up reply actions
What's the difference? It's obviously something people are going to comment about.
You just don't know when to keep your mouth shut, do you Saxy boy?
by oc on Feb 5, 2009 1:05 PM CST up reply actions
Rounds 16-20, with Rob Neyer taking Crush at 80:
"It doesn't look like he's trying. It kinda pisses me off," "He could throw 110 if he tried. The way it explodes out of his hand is really something special." ~ B-Mac on Feliz.
Surprised
he lasted that long. I had to look up Mitch Stetter, had never heard of him.
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
Same on both counts.
"It doesn't look like he's trying. It kinda pisses me off," "He could throw 110 if he tried. The way it explodes out of his hand is really something special." ~ B-Mac on Feliz.
It is going to be hilarious
when Steve Phillips whens those simulations…
My prediction is actually Olney, because the dropoff in pitching is far greater than in other positions. So he was most pitching heavy early on, so his team will do best.
injury database
I think it only lists DL stints.
http://www.fantasypitchfx.com/DL/injury-tool.php
Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
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