Sunday a.m. things
by Adam J. Morris on Feb 8, 2009 9:23 AM CST
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PrintJeff Wilson writes that the Rangers are interested in Andruw Jones, but the team would have a hard time finding a spot for him in the everyday lineup.
Wilson also runs down the 40 man roster and the NRIs, with comments on each player.
Evan Grant says MLB needs to release the names of all those who tested positive in 2003, and the MLBPA needs to have all those who tested positive publicly apologize. I doubt that will make any difference, and personally, I have a big problem with MLB releasing what were supposed to be anonymous test results. As another writer (I forget who) pointed out earlier, the MLBPA dropped the ball here several years back...since the point of testing was just to track how many positive tests there were, why did the MLBPA even allow the samples to be identified with anyone? Why not provide that there would be no way to match the samples to individual players?
Kevin Sherrington talks about how so many former Rangers have been implicated in the steroids scandal. There are many national stories out there about the ARod-steroids stuff, but the highlight in terms of hysteria is probably Bill Madden's...he said ARod was going to have problems when it came to being elected to the Hall of Fame anyway because of "character and sportsmanship issues," but now, with this revelation, Madden claims there's no way ARod gets elected.
Jim Reeves has an early Valentine's Day card to Nolan Ryan, praising everything Ryan has done to fix the Rangers since coming on board as team President.
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A-Rod was going to have problems getting elected anyway?
Yeah, okay. Only idiot New York writers who lament the fact that he’s not a True Yankee like Jeter thought that. I don’t know what will happen with the steroid allegations, but before yesterday, A-Rod was the biggest shoo-in playing baseball today. Well, other than Scott Feldman, of course.
Keith Law: (1:45 PM ET ) I think Michael Young should shut his mouth and move to third base.
no joke
Arod was going to have problems getting electing into the HOF!?
Moron, he’s still going to be elected into the Hall. What an absurd thing to say.
Arod still has 553 HRs with over 1600 RBIs as of today. You don’t think he’s going hit another 150-200 HRs? Get 400 more RBIs?
Another one bites the dust! And another one, and another one, and another one bites the dust!
hell if jim rice got in
arod should for SURE get in tomorrow
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.
Other than not firing
JD & Wash, what criticisms could be thrown at Nolan?
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
Nolan understands what JD is doing
He understands that JD is building through the farm. He also probably understands Hicks was in a win now mode when JD mad those early trades. Speaking of outside of those few trades JD has done a much better job.
Tell me Josey what GM hasn’t made a few bad trades?
I don’t really have and argument for Wash outside of his players like him.
Sheets or bust
Damn you rotator cuff damn you!
what do you ever give a president credit/blame for?
if the team isn’t building a new ballpark, what are they accountable for beyond the more standard elements of running a business (marketing, ballpark operations, sales, etc)? what presidents get criticized or lauded for their work in those areas?
What criticisms could be?
I don’t know.
For the most part, I’m happy with what he’s done as team president. Bringing John Blake back was a good thing, after Blake was run off by Hart and Buck. Promoting Sundberg is, I think, a good thing. The whole business side seems to be a little more in tune with the fans.
And on the baseball side, he seems to be letting the baseball people do their job, which is a good thing.
I agree with what Hicks says in that article…because of Nolan Ryan’s stature, having him say, be patient, we’re getting things going on the right direction, is going to carry more weight with a lot of fans than Daniels or Hicks saying it. And if Ryan can convince Hicks to stay on course, then that would make a big difference from what has happened historically.
However, if you really think This Thing is a Steaming Pile, that the organization is a mess and has been going backwards, then I’m not sure how you can be happy with what Nolan has done. He clearly has the power to fire Daniels and/or Washington if he wanted to, and if they are both as incompetent as you believe, him not removing them has to be a huge black mark on his record.
by Adam J. Morris on Feb 8, 2009 10:12 AM CST up reply actions
I wonder why Nolan hasn't fired JD & Washington as well.
My only take would be that JD really hasn’t done anything that could get him fired with Nolan as his boss. We’ve all been here since that horrible day JD was hired but Nolan has only been here since Feb. 1 2008.
Last year was the afterbirth of JD’s f ups. All of his bad moves from 2006 – to the moment Nolan was hired culminated in that godawful, unwatchable, lead the league in errors, 967 runs allowed season.
As tough as I am on JD, he really didn’t do anything wrong after February 1 that could have got him fired. On the other hand, I’m not sure JD did too much that I could applaud him for either.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
Jpenn,
The front office dumbassery has come to an end plus there is now a voice / presence that the players & pitchers have to respect.
JD is dogshit to the players on this team and I don’t believe they respect him.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
Besides Mench who else has an issue with him?
Mench, aka the guy who failed misearbly once Daniels traded him and can’t get a job with any MLB team.
Young got pissed at having to move and has since said there’s no issue with Daniels.
You think all the young guys that Daniels has added to the organization and created opportunities for at the ML level dislike him?
You think Hamilton, a guy he traded for and has promoted nationally, dislikes him?
Young, the acknowledged leader
on the team, treats him like dogshit.
When Millwood, the leader of the pitchers, has to be told to get his fat-ass in shape, the message comes from Nolan and not JD.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
Young acted like a brat at first
Has since said he’s ok with JD
Is John Schuerholz disrespected in the Braves clubhouse because Andruw Jones got fat on his watch? Is Larry Beinfest disrespected as evidenced by how heavy Miguel Cabrera got in Florida before losing some weight in Detroit?
Schuerholz has skins on the wall.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
JP is disrespected
because he is terrible at his job and publicly calls out good players and says that they are terrible
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
Not to mention
….that we have heard many times how Millwood is coming to camp in the “best shape of his life” more than once. Just because he was told again to get on the treadmill doesn’t mean he actually, you know, did it.
how many players come to camp
“in the best shape of their life”
“lost 10 pounds”
“gained 15 pounds of muscle”
“worked out all offseason”
“added 5 mph to their FB”
and how often do they actually do better?
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.
Me, neither. Millwood worked his ass off to get in shape the winter BEFORE Ryan was hired
I guess Ryan went back in time to scold him into action or something.
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
Millwood was out of shape in 2008.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
i was never under the impression that michael young was the “vocal” leader of the team
always got the feeling that he was kind of like romo in the lockerroom, never really had anything to say unless it was CJ-gate
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.
That doesn't make any sense.
Your theory could only be true if you believe that Daniels is getting better.
If he’s the same piece of dogshit and he’s just meekly sat in the corner, waiting for his next opportunity to fuck This Thing up, then that’s a pretty shitty reason to keep a guy. If Nolan’s kept him for that reason, I’d say Nolan’s a pretty bad boss.
by brettgardner on Feb 8, 2009 10:41 AM CST up reply actions
And Adam,
I think the firings of both JD & Washington are inevitable.
JD has built a good pipline of talent (trading a HOF player in his prime with 1.5 years left on his contract helped) but he still doesn’t know how to assemble a major league team that can win and Ron Washington is one of the dumbest managers I’ve ever seen.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
Of course the firings up Daniels and Washington are inevitable
So are the firings of 29 other g.m.s and managers.
by Adam J. Morris on Feb 8, 2009 10:57 AM CST up reply actions 1 recs
After I wrote that sentence I realized
how stupid it was.
Their firing are not only inevitable but also imminient.
JD is going to have make a move or a major decision that helps the team win at the major league level and he’s incapable of doing so.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
Imminent?
As in, they’ll be gone by when?
End of 2009?
End of 2010?
There were ceaseless proclamations that Nolan was going to go all Robin Ventura on Daniels when the 2008 season was over. That didn’t happen.
What is he waiting for?
by Adam J. Morris on Feb 8, 2009 11:03 AM CST up reply actions
I'm guessing the end of 2009.
What’s he waiting for?
Who knows?
Those steaming piles JD personally built in 2007 & 2008 seemed like very good reasons to me.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
If the Rangers are genuinely
interested in bringing the eternally dimwitted Washington back after 2009, why wouldn’t they sign him to an extension beyond this year?
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
Nope.
JD gave Wash an extension for 2008 in August of 2007 but no extension was offered last year.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
He had an option
that was exercised for 2009 during the 2007 season
This is what I meant to say...
Washington’s 09 option was okd by JD in August ’07
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
it was clearly ONLY JD's decision
no one else was allowed to say anything abotu it
josey, are you the fly on JDs office wall?
do you know exactly what happened?
how do you know hicks didnt say “keep him”?
you dont…
but then again, thats logical. why am i not suprised
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.
rec
funny
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.
you better send your resume
in for the Rangers GM job because I’m sure you are much better than JD right?
Another one bites the dust! And another one, and another one, and another one bites the dust!
HOF player?
i wouldnt go that far
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.
HOF
is jumping the gun a bit, considering the guy just hit his first FA year. Tex is no HOF right now, we’ll see if he can do it for another 10 years. That is the trick about the HOF, you can’t just be good for 4 years
Another one bites the dust! And another one, and another one, and another one bites the dust!
I'm confused
Nolan didn’t fire Daniels, not because he thinks Daniels is a good g.m., but because there were no glaring errors that happened after 2/1 that would give him a reason to fire him?
If Nolan believes, like you do, that it is a good day for the organization when Daniels doesn’t come home with a stinky diaper, why wouldn’t he pull the trigger now?
You are suggesting that Nolan is just waiting for Daniels to make some big screw up so he can be “justified” in swooping in and replacing him with Tim Purpura or someone.
That doesn’t add up, to me.
by Adam J. Morris on Feb 8, 2009 11:00 AM CST up reply actions
heh
as if Daniels has some clout that he can only get fired if he’s made a mistake – otherwise I guess the media would storm Arlington saying, “How dare you fire Daniels -you old fogey!”
Makes sense to me.
"To be ignorant of one’s ignorance is the malady of the ignorant."
I don't know why Nolan hasn't fired JD & Washi
but you’re asking for reasons / theories.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
but there are very plausible reasons
- Nolan likes the job JD and Wash are doing
- Nolan doesn’t have the power to fire them.
Take your pick
"To be ignorant of one’s ignorance is the malady of the ignorant."
Absolutely.
But neither of those fit in with the storyline.
by brettgardner on Feb 8, 2009 11:07 AM CST up reply actions
Do you think Nolan was happy with 967 runs allowed
and the most errors committed in MLB?
I don’t.
I don’t think he likes the job they’re doing at the major league level but I do believe that Nolan is being patient.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
But still no reason
As to why he’s being patient.
by brettgardner on Feb 8, 2009 11:08 AM CST up reply actions
You need a reason to be patient?
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
Of course you do.
Some things require immediate action, and not taking it requires some kind of justification.
by brettgardner on Feb 8, 2009 11:11 AM CST up reply actions
I think Nolan is being patient
with JD and considered 2006 to Feb. 1 2008 to be water under the bridge and the day he was hired, JD got a blank slate.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
That's not smart, then.
Did he become a better GM in one year, or is Nolan too much of a pussy to get a better guy in here before JD fucks it up even more?
by brettgardner on Feb 8, 2009 11:14 AM CST up reply actions
Ask Mark Connor, Dom Chiti
and Art Howe if they consider Nolan to be a pussy.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
OK I will.
If you can answer the question.
by brettgardner on Feb 8, 2009 11:17 AM CST up reply actions
The answer to your question
is “none of the above.”
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
I know that.
So you’re lead, then, to accept one of ab’s theories.
by brettgardner on Feb 8, 2009 11:26 AM CST up reply actions
ab03 is not one of the voices
I respect in here for baseball knowledge so I usually don’t read what he writes or if I do, take it seriously.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
OK
That still doesn’t address anything. The alternatives he posited have nothing to do with his baseball knowledge, just logic.
by brettgardner on Feb 8, 2009 11:32 AM CST up reply actions
ab03 may have his theories
and I have mine.
Nolan is being patient plus he is judging JD for what he has done since he became his boss.
I don’t believe JD became a better GM last year – jeeez, he didn’t do anything during the season to make me think that but he also didn’t have any egregious f ups either.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
So you have to accept
That Nolan doesn’t think as poorly of JD as you do.
by brettgardner on Feb 8, 2009 11:38 AM CST up reply actions
Yes.
It is a personal failing on Ryan’s part.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"lead" ??
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
there's a really good analog to politics here
i don’t want to bring politics into it because the point is always lost among the political fray
but it’s amazing to me that people like Reevo love Nolan Ryan, hate JD, but then refuse to accept that Ryan likes JD. Even when all indications are that Ryan likes JD, even when Ryan publicly states that he likes JD – they refuse to believe it. Especially odd given how much Ryan is revered by these people.
Yet, when push comes to shove, they don’t accept that Ryan is all knowing and therefore JD must be doing a good job, their JD hate wins out and they attribute some sort of fault to Ryan for going along with JD
Exactly how PUMA/Clinton/Obama played out – which I thought was pretty irrational too.
Which is to say that Reevo at this point is beyond post rational.
"To be ignorant of one’s ignorance is the malady of the ignorant."
JD has done a good job
outside of the Young/Gonzalez and Soriano trades, JD has made alot of great moves.
the Danks deal wasn’t a bad deal until Mark Connor got his hands on McCarthy and screwed him up. That, I think, is JDs worst move, placing Connor as your pitching coach.
Are you going to give credit to JD if this team does win in ’10 or ’11?
Another one bites the dust! And another one, and another one, and another one bites the dust!
I guess you forgot about the Ron Washington
hiring and extension.
The signings of JJennings, Fukomori, Broussard ($ 9 million for a small market payroll) and DFA’ing of Galarraga.
It’s a long, long list of f ups by JD and the culmination was what we saw at the major league level in 2008.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
Who would you have rather signed for that 9 million last year?
And remember we needed a veteran SP, a one year stop gap 1B, and some kind of 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.
We didn't need a stopgap 1B
and it appears upon further review that money could have been spent more wisely on Kyle Lohse although I would have opted for Ted Lilly / Gil Meche before the 2007 season.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
Yes we did
Who was going to play 1B until Davis was ready? We were lucky Davis was ready when he was. We had to plan for him not to be ready until later in 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.
not later in the season
it was pretty remarkable that he was ready at all any time last season given how much professional experience he had.
"To be ignorant of one’s ignorance is the malady of the ignorant."
Catalonotto or Botts.
If you needed a free agent instead, Casey went to the Red Sox for less than $ 1 million.
You could have also moved Blalock over there and put Metcalf at 3B.
Rolling with Broussard & CShelton for as long as they did was not smart given the options they had.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
at that point though,
I don’t think they wanted to move Blalock. The reason they moved MY is because they don’t believe that Metcalf is the long-term answer. The only reason they moved Blalock was because he showed them that he was not able to make the throw anymore.
Gil Meche? Gil F'in Meche?
So Josey is apparently so prescient that he knew that Gil was a good signing although that very signing was lambasted by almost everyone.
I need to think something lasts forever, and it might as well be that state of being that is a game; it might as well be that, in a green field, in the sun.
"after the fact knowledge"
It’s a hell of a thing.
I need to think something lasts forever, and it might as well be that state of being that is a game; it might as well be that, in a green field, in the sun.
yeah
and why would you give him a multi-year deal as well
Another one bites the dust! And another one, and another one, and another one bites the dust!
But,
are you going to give crdit to JD if this team does win in ‘10 or ’11 or just say that Nolan didn’t let him f up anymore? Is there any way that JD can be a competent GM in your eyes or is he beyond redemption?
CS3, JD is going to eventually need to make
moves that impact the major league club – making trades where there is a glut of talent in the system (1B & C) plus he’s going to need to hire another manager.
Those are a couple of things he needs to do to overcome his past.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
Those are a couple of things he needs to do to overcome his past.
Only in your eyes. I’ll once again suggest to you that JD is not the same GM he was back when he first took this job. Just like rookie players, rookie GMs have a learning curve too. The job that JD has done over the last 18 months suggests that he has moved past that learning curve. And the fact that Nolan supports JD suggests that Nolan agrees that JD will be a strong GM moving forward.
I’m going to repeat a question that you still have yet to answer:
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?
There is only one logical explaination: Nolan thinks JD is a good GM. There is not another explaination that makes sense. And if Nolan thinks JD is a good GM, then you need to start campaigning against Nolan too, because right now Nolan and JD are a package deal.
I will say...
…that I think it is possible that Ryan doesn’t think Daniels is a “good” g.m., but also doesn’t think he’s a bad g.m., and figures that going out and getting someone new (particularly someone who may or may not be a good or bad g.m. himself) would be more disruptive than it is worth.
by Adam J. Morris on Feb 8, 2009 12:15 PM CST up reply actions
Well good is relative
If JD was as bad as Josey says, then it would not be hard to find a GM who was a substantial improvement over JD and would be worth the disruption.
I'd say that Nolan views JD much like he views
Brandon McCarthy.
Extenuating circumstances are requiring that he be extraordinarily patient with him. Hicks is also in no mood to spend any money and JD has an extension thru 2011.
JD can run but he can’t hide. Right now he’s living off the fact that the Rangers have one of the better minor league systems in the game and that has bought him time but he will eventually have to make decisions that have a positive impact on the team at the major league level and to this point he has not shown the ability to do so.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
You realize how stupid your premise is, right?
JD hasn’t won at the major league level, therefore he cannot win at the major league level. Your argument probably sounds great on shock-jock radio, but it is a terrible way to evaluate whether a team should keep its GM.
JD can run but he can’t hide. Right now he’s living off the fact that the Rangers have one of the better minor league systems in the game and that has bought him time but he will eventually have to make decisions that have a positive impact on the team at the major league level and to this point he has not shown the ability to do so.
What the hell does this even mean? You make it sound like JD came up with this “youth movement” scheme to trick Hicks and Nolan into letting him keep his job. You say that “he’s living off the fact that the Rangers have one of the better minor league systems” without even acknowledging that JD’s the primary reason we have this farm system. And as impatient as you are, you need to accept that building the farm system and letting young players develop is the most direct and effective way to make a “positive impact on the team at the major league level.”
And as for Nolan, your response is a cop out. If Nolan thought that JD was about to make another terrible trade (as you believe), then Nolan couldn’t afford to be “extraordinarily patient” because a bad trade would set this team back any further. Oh, by the way, the two-year contract extension for JD was announced soon after Ryan was hired, so your most recent theory fails: if Nolan wanted, he could have just as easily told Hicks not to extend JD.
I’m not sure how you can have any faith in Nolan right now.
In 2006, there was no youth movement in Texas.
JD was given the keys to the car and it was understood the goal of that team was to win, that year.
JD’s big move that year was the CYoung/AG trade and then he traded Soriano (in a contract year) for Wilkerson. It’s old ground, but those trades were absolute short-term and long-term failures and it was hardly shocking when the team finished below .500. Not to be forgotten is the in-season trade for Carlos Lee & Nelson Cruz. Still waiting for Nelson Cruz to have one good season worth a damn in The Show.
JD keenly assessed what his team’s needs were and decided to fire Buck / hire Wash. More failure at the major league level. Don’t believe it? Listen to that dumbass on his pre-game radio show or on Norm Hitzges every week and then watch him manage what one scout last year called “the most unfundamental and sloppy team I have seen in several years.” Not to be dissuaded from logical thoughts, JD gave an extension to Washington for 2009 and last year proclaimed himself to be “A Ron Washington Man.” You most certainly are, Boy Blunder.
Next up, JD trades Danks for McCarthy aka the garbage out of somebody else’s front yard. Oh my god, what a bad trade on so many levels and epic failure.
Then we have the additions of Lofton, Gagne, Sosa and Cat. Forget about what those players brought back in trades and how they eventually affected the organizations minor league rankings because those players were initially brought here to help the 2007 major league team improve. Did those players help the team get better in 2007? Absolutely not, more failure.
Then we have those murky days last January before Nolan was hired. Till the very end, JD was still fucking up left and right. Even though he had a small market payroll, JD still gave $ 9 million to Broussard, JJennings and Fukomori and in the process DFAing Galarraga. How’d that work out at the major league level?
JD has acquired or signed some players that have helped the Rangers but it’s usually players (Padilla, Bradley, Josh) whose talent has never been questioned. Those players were made available and came to Texas because they had off the field baggage.
It’s nice that the organization’s prospects are being viewed in such a positive light by others but that does not mean that JD knows what the hell he is doing when it comes making enough of the right decisions when it comes to building a major league team that can contend (win 90+ games) consistently.
Need another example, why the fuck do you let your manager start Gerald Laird in 39 of your last 53 games when your team is out of contention and you have better, younger players with upside available?
In the next couple of years, JD will be faced with many vexing decisions that will affect the major league team and his track record up to date on those decisions have been cloaked in failure.
Hence, JD can run but he can’t hide.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
I thought
Lofton was playing pretty well and wasn’t Gagne actually really helpful while he was here? Cat was just a bad signing (no defense from me on that one) and I’m pretty sure the Sosa signing was jut for the 600 chase to try to sell some tickets to a generally unspirited fan base. I think the moves he has been making lately are meant to have a greater long-term impact than any signing he could have done with the payroll what it is. If we can’t sign great players, don’t we need to try to trade for them before they cost a fortune? And that pretty much involves trading for talented A-AA players, signing intl FAs, and drafting well. He has done well in all three of those aspects. If we knew of any deals he turned down in the last year and a half that would have helped the big league club, I might be more willing to listen to that, but I don’t think JD has a real option to sign some impact players or make good long-term value trades for those same players.
CS3
Players like Gagne, Lofton, Sosa and Cat were not going to help this particular team win in 2007.
What this team needed in 2007 were more young players in their primes and not older players who were deep in decline. Older players in decline can pile on some stats but they rarely help you win. That team started out 23-42 for a reason.
Yes, GM’s are going to make bad trades. It’s a part of the business but that particular team was so profoundly and incompetently put together that it put every single decision JD ever made regarding the major league team into question.
JD got the most basic things wrong that year that it told me he will never be capable of being the GM of a team that can contend consistently.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
Young players in their prime
Oh — now I see. Those are some pretty good names you specifically mentioned there.
I mean, “young players in their prime” are just handed out like candy in baseball, right? It’s so easy to get some of those guys and just turn it around immediately.
"He will not coddle them. Nolan Ryan doesn’t coddle." - Jeff Passan
I'm going to skip all your crap and go straight to the end
In the next couple of years, JD will be faced with many vexing decisions that will affect the major league team and his track record up to date on those decisions have been cloaked in failure.
You are absolutely right a bout the vexing decisions. But you don’t even acknowledge why he’s going to have those vexing decisions: because he rebuilt the farm system and we are about to be overloaded with young, major league talent. The fact that he’s going to have to face those decisions is an acknowledgement that this team is closer to winning at any point during JD’s tenure.
One other point that should be made:
JD was given the keys to the car and it was understood the goal of that team was to win, that year.
JD failed early on, in part, for two reasons. One, he let people like Buck Showalter influence decisions instead of relying on his scouts. Second, he tried to win immediately with a team that was not built to win immediately. Realistically, there was nothing any GM could have done in 2006 to turn the Rangers into a winner (although I’m sure you’ll come up with more fantastic hindsight gems like signing Gil Meche to a $55 million contract).
Over the last 18 months, JD is doing what he should have started doing in 2006. That doesn’t mean that the Young/Gonzalez trade and other moves weren’t failures, but it does mean that he’s less likely to repeat those moves because philosophy of the organization as completely shifted since then.
And that’s what Nolan came in to evaluate. He didn’t come in to roast JD over moves made in 2006. He came in to evaluate the direction of the organization in the present, and he obviously feels good about where the team is heading. If he didn’t, JD wouldn’t be here.
…There’s so much crap in what you just read, I feel like pointing one more thing out:
Then we have the additions of Lofton, Gagne, Sosa and Cat. Forget about what those players brought back in trades and how they eventually affected the organizations minor league rankings because those players were initially brought here to help the 2007 major league team improve.
How convenient. Ignore that Lofton and Gagne both performed very well for the Rangers and then were traded for a good group of prospects. The Rangers didn’t lose in 2007 because of Lofton and Gagne; both of those players played quite well for us.
But it’s funny that you start losing steam as you write your list of JD grievances. Let’s focus on what JD has done over the last 18 months: your biggest complain is that the team spent $9 mil on stopgaps like Broussard, Jennings, and Fukomori and DFAing Galarraga. Given the circumstances, the budget, and the fact that JD didn’t want to bind the team into long-term contracts, those are hardly fireable offenses.
And that’s why you have to treat the minor league program as just “rankings” and being equivalent to a pile of magic beans. If you acknowledge that JD’s successfully rebuilt the lower half of the organization, and this his moves at the major league level were consistent with a rebuilding effort, then you’d realize that JD’s done nothing over the last 18 months to merit getting fired.
But please, keep bringing up the Young/Gonzalez trade, even though that’s completely irrelevant in 2009.
moves that impact the major league club
like trading teix for feliz and co
drafting holland
drafting borbon
moving michaeal young to 3b
trading for hamilton
those are not impacting the major league club at all right?
Scout: He was a first-round pick right? Got a huge bonus?
KG: Oh yeah.
Scout: Well, he spent a lot of it on milkshakes.
Shut your mouth!
Josey’s ears are bleeding right now.
Sheets or bust
Damn you rotator cuff damn you!
Michael Young's contract
belongs atop the list of JD’s fuckups.
"drawing walks is an overrated trait in my eyes."
"i do believe we could have 4 30 start pitchers in the rotation."
-- both these genius remarks brought to you by our resident guru, bigsteve
Daniels
should have convinced Hicks it was too much for too long.
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for the last time
you seem to have known that galarraga was going to haev a great year
if he is as good this year as last year i will give you 20$ (and actually do it, unlike sharky)
he was lucky last year
veryvery lucky
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.
A-Rod
will get into the HOF in my opinion. Some writers may hold off voting for him as a statement but he will get in. Worst case scenario is that he may not get in the first vote if enough writers band together. His situation is a little different in that with Bonds and McGwire everyone saw them balloon in their 30s. With A-Rod everyone in baseball pretty much saw him go from a teenager to his current level. He is a big guy but not on the level of those two guys.
I'm pretty sanguine right now
about the leadership of the organization, except maybe for Hicks, and even he seems to be behaving lately.
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As I have always suspected
Nolan’s job was really to keep Tom Hicks in check, he was never there to interfere with JD. And I agree with you, Hicks has been adequately out of the way, and even willing to pony up money when necessary.
Not sure I'd put it that way
I don’t think Hicks hired Ryan so Ryan could keep Hicks in check. Anyway, the leadership in place right now has faults, but overall it’s as strong as it has been in quite a while. You have to feel good about not just the Ryan-Daniels relationship, but the people right under them. They really are on the way to building a player development machine, just hope they can keep it up as the contention window nears.
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The Rangers to sign Andrew Jones, according Joel Sherman:
The Rangers will announce in the next few days that they have signed center fielder Andruw Jones to a minor league contract that will pay him a base salary of $500,000 if he makes the majors, the Post has learned. Jones will also have an opportunity to make $1 million more in bonuses, but to earn that total, he would have to be close to a full-time player, which is dubious at best
"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.
Andruw*
"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 8, 2009 11:05 AM CST up reply actions
F
the Rangers just sank Murphy, Byrd, Cruz, Borbon, and Boggs’s career. F
"To be ignorant of one’s ignorance is the malady of the ignorant."
he was supposed to get called up
I’m being completely facetious and mocking Adam (he doesn’t exactly think that but it wouldn’t be a fun mocking if it was just the truth).
what do you think of Jones? I assume you think he’s not going to do anything so no reason to worry/be hopeful?
"To be ignorant of one’s ignorance is the malady of the ignorant."
I think its your typical
signing of a washed up player to a NRI.
Much like JJennings, low probability of paying off, but it doesn’t cost much.
Get off my lawn.
Ok, that's hyperbole
and a complete misrepresentation of yesterday’s discussion.
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I don't understand this move at all
even if he goes to the minors, don’t we want Borbon playing CF in AAA, or does he start in AA?
Another one bites the dust! And another one, and another one, and another one bites the dust!
If Jones were to go to OKC
then he can play wherever. RF, DH, who cares? His problem is that his bat has been completely off for 2-3 years. He can relearn to hit playing any position or DH. His CF defense hasn’t been suffering tremendously
If he doesnt make the club
I can’t see any benefit from keeping him in the minors nor would I think that he would be interested in that either. Some other club will take a flyer on him by 4/1 for any # of reasons.
I generally agree with you
there are some circumstances where i could see it (Rudy finds a big fixable hole, and he goes to work on it), but I don’t think he will. My response was more why that isn’t a doomsday scenario…
performance bonuses for Andruw
I asked about this a while back, and my understanding of Adam’s explanation was that he receives his $22 million from the Dodgers, and any amount that we pay him gives the Dodgers that amount of relief, but doesn’t affect Andruw’s take home pay. Is this true? If so, why offer performance bonuses? They wouldn’t affect Jone’s actual pay, they would only have the potential to reduce the amount that the Dodgers have to pay.
"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
Does it have something to do with when he gets paid?
Since performance bonusesIf the performance bonuses come at the end of the season, then it might be that they don’t count in the Dodger’s responsibility to pay the money they owe Jones.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
I don't know, possibly...
I was hoping AJM would address this.
If I understand it right, there is no reason to give him anything more than the minimum, because his take home pay is determined by the Dodgers contract.
"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
OT. The Phillies sign Howard to a three-year, $54 million contract:
"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.
mounting evidence that Amaro is an idiot
If Howard pulls a Hafner, that contract is going to be a killer.
"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
Not too bad
3 years is a decently short commitment, so this will not be as bad as Young’s contract even if Howard declines over the next three years.
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Yeah this is a good extension
This didn’t buy out any FA years. Howard was going to win his arbitration case this year and get 16 million so what Amaro did was raise this years up by 2 million and then guarantee the next two arbitration years at 18 mil. Nice deal for Philly.
The only way this is bad is if they were going to non tender him in a couple years which I doubt was going to happen.
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.
Howard's arb case
He was asking for $18 million, not $16 million.
So the Phillies gave him three years at an annual amount of what he was asking for this year.
by Adam J. Morris on Feb 8, 2009 1:00 PM CST up reply actions
Oh even better than
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.
howard
overrated.
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 Jones signing reminds me a lot of the Edgardo Alfonzo signing.
A former pretty good player past his prime on a cheap minor league deal.
Remember when Andruw Jones was considered one of the best outfielders in baseball? Ah, memories.
My 2009 New Years Resolution: Quit feeding the trolls.
Look who it is...
Gerry Fraley with a surprise! Ranger bashing article
Some highlights-
Rodriguez was only following the motto of when in Arlington, do as the Rangers do.
If the Johnny Appleseed of steroids in baseball is ever identified, it is likely that he will have played for the Texas Rangers.
Any accomplishment by a Texas player of the last generation is viewed skeptically.
"Come on man you have to admit the average guy in a baseball clubhouse...... is relatively a douchebag." BGL.
I do not miss that guy...
what a douche.
"that suzuki guy should go back to making cars" - My girlfriend after C.J.'s close in game 2
any accomplisment
well, there aren’t that many so we don’t have to worry about that.
"To be ignorant of one’s ignorance is the malady of the ignorant."
Wow
even for him that’s ridiculous. Sure, Gerry, if it weren’t for the Rangers no one in baseball would be on steroids. right.
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Even for him
Good phrase. There is no excuse for mental obesity.
"He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp-posts... for support rather than illumination." - Andrew Lang (1844-1912)
by Ed Coffin on Feb 8, 2009 1:21 PM CST up reply actions
Good place to insert this.
Mental obesity describes perfectly the garbage that Reeves put out today.
"...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
Hypocrisy
Any DFW-area reporter that bashes the Rangers on this topic (PED’s) is a hypocrite. Where were Sherrington and Fraley during this era? Oh that’s right, they were in the clubhouse talking to these very players. I must have missed their tell-all columns and insightful pieces on the problems at the time.
How many reporters applauded the team when they let steroid-suspect Pudge Rodriguez walk after 2002? None – they all screamed while he won a World Series in Florida. Now they’re coming out of the woodwork to criticize Texas for ever having these guys in the clubhouse to begin with.
Easy to talk a big game from the sidelines…
Adam, what's the holdup??
Are you working on a piece for the A-Rod story or what? Unless I’ve missed it, I have not seen an opinion of yours on your boy popping positive for roids. I would truly hope that a baseball purist such as yourself would not accept this from the game’s true star.
40 man wishes
Guardado, one of Turnbow/Donnelly and Andruw Jones make the 40 man.
we cut Eyre, Metcalf (send him down?), Boggs goes back to AAA, and cut one of Gabbard or Mendoza, and trade Hank or Byrd for potentially another arm that goes onto the 40 man roster
"Hang-Dai, Wu...Hang-Fu$&ing-Dai"
Just put Hurley and Benoit on the 60 day and you don't have to release anyone
And if we keep Jones I imagine Cat is cut which would open up that spot.
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.
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