Ananas

Hey damshow? We had Gregg for a year too, I feel your pain.

The only players that should be considered disgraced (although even that is a bit harsh) are the ones who have tested positive since 2004. Everyone else was just doing something that there wasn't any enforced rule against.

Barry Bonds found guilty of obstruction of justice. Let that be a lesson to athletes everywhere - don't get in the way of politicians grandstanding.

The fact that only 15% of people said they'd remember him as a HoF worthy player makes one think that a good part of that 66% who chose "Manny Being Manny" remember and hold the steroids against him.

I did say Edgar Martinez was a great player, and I'm not sure how anyone who isn't just hell bent on winning an argument could disagree. Are/were Manny Ramirez, Derek Jeter, Hanley Ramirez, Jeff Kent and Carlos Delgado not great players? Because while they did/do "play" positions, they were all certifiably mediocre to sub-par defensively. Like Meac said, if Edgar Martinez had been in the NL his bat would have played somewhere in the field, he just wouldn't have been good at it. You can crow about "protection" all you want (and I specially love the "if you don't believe in it you don't know baseball" line), google "Bill James" "lineup protection". Look at what Will Carroll wrote about the subject. Or Doug Drinen. Then try to explain how those obsessive baseball fans who cover the sport professionally and are obsessed with finding the most accurate statistical metrics for measuring performance and strategy don't know anything about baseball. In fact, give me any kind of credible study that concludes there's any serious impact at all that goes beyond your own anecdotal examples. Edgar Martinez was a spectacular hitter, one of the greatest of all time. He has the 34th highest career OPS in the history of baseball (39th in adjusted OPS, before you write that off as just a product of the era), and the 22nd highest on base percentage. Any GM that would have seen him as an "extra guy on the bench time" is worthy of not only being fired, but taken out back and horsewhipped.

Its baseball, teams make ridiculous early season panic moves when they're supposed to cruise to the division title. I don't think its a good decision, but I have a hard time expecting anything outside of a rash decision given the expectations for the team. This isn't a Tampa Bay situation where an anemic lineup and shaky pitching is not going to fall on Joe Maddon's shoulders. Win a game this weekend it is all fine for Terry Francona, lose them all and everyone in New England enters panic mode.

No, this is a Boston situation where they have the benefit of Theo Epstein as GM who doesn't make stupid reactionary moves.

Big series for the Orioles this weekend against the Rangers. Sweeping the anemic Rays and then taking 2 of 3 from Detroit are good ways to start the season, but this is the weekend where we can start to find out whether this Orioles team will just be respectable or actually something a bit more.

Also I fully expect Francona to be gone if the Sox lose this weekend series against the Yanks. Couple the collapse at the end of last year with the bad start this year and it has the feel that the team is no longer responding to him.

It's 9 games. Even if they get swept, it's 9 fucking games. They're going to dump their long time manager over one slow start and one injury fueled collapse in 2010? Given that one would presume Demarlo Hale would step in to take over in the interim who's already on staff, what indication is there that they'd respond to him any more?

Edgar Martinez is the perfect argument against the DH rule. This guy is looked at as a potential HOFer (yes, I'm aware he dipped in voting this year compared to last year) when his career numbers don't warrant it at all. I'm sure David Ortiz has played less and his numbers are already better. Heck, Joe Carter had a better career. Should he be in the Hall of Fame? I don't count Molitor in the DH argument as much because he actually played more games in the field then he did at DH.

Martinez's career numbers are comparable to Moises Alou and John Olerud. Martinez played a long stretch of his career in the same lineup as A-Rod and Griffey.

By what measure did Joe Carter have a better career than Edgar Martinez? Home runs and RBI's? By that argument Joe Carter had a better career than Wade Boggs, Tony Gwynn, Roberto Alomar and Robin Yount. Unless you're counting the fact that Joe Carter played a position, which isn't really a valid argument given that he played a position poorly. From a value standpoint, the fact that Edgar Martinez put up zero defensive value is better than the negative value Carter did. And if you think David Ortiz is really a better hitter than Edgar Martinez was I'm not sure we can even continue this conversation. They're not even close.

I'm for it. As someone else mentioned, guys like Molitor, Baines, and Edgar Martinez would not have been active as long as they were were it not for the DH rule. I don't expect the National League to adopt it, and I wouldn't want them to. I like that the two leagues have a big difference like that between each other, and it's interesting to see how teams adjust during interleague play.

I'm sorry but that's one hell of a stupid reason. If guys aren't good enough to play they aren't good enough to play. Any special circumstances created is flat out dumb. If you're a good enough bat teams will play you. If you're a good enough talent...learn to play the field.

It's a perfectly valid reason from a fan's perspective. Unless instead of Edgar Martinez putting up a career line of .312/.418/.515 you'd have rather watched Randy Johnson take atrocious hacks and maybe shorten his Hall of Fame career while doing something he's completely unqualified for. Great entertainment value there with a breather in the 9 spot until the late innings.

The ICC's decision to not only formalize a 10 team format for 2019 but also decide against any kind of qualification for 2015 is just baffling and counterproductive. Can anyone think of a valid reason why Bangladesh should be guaranteed a spot and Ireland not even given the chance to earn their way in? And how are countries like the Netherlands and Canada supposed to grow the sport domestically if they don't even have a hope of qualification? Unbelievable.

I don't see the point of pitchers hitting. Just a couple more opportunities a game to lose your pitcher to injury, and having a hole at the bottom of the lineup hardly improves the game. It does make a tactical impact that perhaps adds a twinge of excitement but from a gameplay standpoint I just think it makes the game worse - by making a player in your lineup do something they're completely shit at. Plus all kinds of great players would have had their career dramatically shortened where it not for the DH spot (Paul Molitor, Dave Winfield, Edgar Martinez, Jim Thome, Frank Thomas).

I'll give India this - they've been part of many of the most thrilling conclusions we've seen so far in the tourney. Gotta wonder how things might have turned out if Gambhir hadn't slipped on what was looking like an easy catch in the 44th.

I'm laughing right along with Sheen at anyone who thinks this is anything but a work. Dude probably just got bored, fuck knows what I'd do if I had his money and fame. Probably be worse.

Did they work his being fired from the show that made him all that money? Because that just happened.

This one's for people who think the Rays got good "just because they sucked forever":

Aaaand Chris Carpenter left the game today with an injury. If this is serious, the Cards had better become buyers fast if they even want to think about contending in the Central this year.

Wainwright needs Tommy John surgery. I don't know if this makes the Cardinals more or less likely to sign Pujols.

I think if this puts anyone in play it's Rasmus. I really doubt the Cards want to go into the season in this loaded division with Pujols potentially walking at the end of the year with Westbrook as their #3. Not like LaRussa will use Rasmus properly anyway.

Anyone watching MFC 28 right now? Curtis Demarce and Richie Whitson are in an absolute fucking war.

Enrique Rojas of ESPN reporting that the Jays are going to sign Jose Bautista to a 5 year, 65 million dollar extension. I'll link to Dave Cameron's write-up because I think it's bang-on.

The Orioles have an interesting line-up going into the new season. If Derek Lee can have a comeback year, then mixing him in with Vlad, Nick Markakis and Brian Roberts could create a very potent offence. Mark Reynolds is a slugger, but we will see if he can adjust to AL pitching. I don't like his 200+ strikeouts each year, and it could go even higher against pitchers he hasn't seen. Adam Jones and Matt Weiters could also improve as they continue to grow into top level players.

I think the Orioles will struggle a bit, since they haven't improved the bullpen and their pitchers are all young. I think the Orioles will be much better then last season and take a leap, becoming a 80 win team. I also see Toronto pushing 90, with Tampa coming down to 80.

Where do the 16 wins lost come from for Tampa? The only substantial loss they suffered was Carl Crawford, and although the Damon/Jennings platoon won't recoup all of that value I'd predict they get more out of Ramirez than they did Pena last year. They lost a couple of bullpen pieces but replaced them wisely with Farnsworth and Peralta, and moved Garza because he's kind of superfluous with all of Tampa's live arms and stacked their farm system more than it already was. IMO they set themselves up brilliantly with an absolute ton of picks (11 of the top 75) and aren't significantly worse than they were the year prior. I see them as a 90 win team so long as they don't run into significant injury trouble, should be in the discussion come September.

There is no circumstance under which King Felix gets moved at the deadline. He's under contract for four more years and the M's will look to continue to build with prospects like Ackley, Franklin and Smoak. The only way Carpenter gets dealt is if the Cards are out of the playoff picture, and I don't see that happening come deadline. Zack Grienke I'd similarly doubt unless the Brewers who have already addressed their primary need (trading for two opening day starters) somehow fail to contend in the Central. Carmona and Blanton are potential options, although I fear how either of them would fare in the AL East given Carmona's past inconsistency and Joe Blanton being Joe Blanton. Right now they can either overpay for a second-tier starter with top tier prospects (ie Banuelos, Montero, Sanchez) or they can try to patchwork a rotation together as best as they can find. Either way starting pitching is unlikely to be a huge strength for them in 2011 given the huge arms in the Sox and Rays organizations.

Keith Law's Organizational Rankings of the MLB Farm Systems is up, with the Royals predictably on top. The entire list.

1. Royals

2. Rays

3. Braves

4. Blue Jays

5. Phillies

6. Angels

7. Twins

8. Reds

9. Yankees

10. Mariners

11. Red Sox

12. Rangers

13. Diamondbacks

14. Cardinals

15. Rockies

16. Padres

17. Indians

18. Athletics

19. Nationals

20. Cubs

21. Pirates

22. Dodgers

23. Giants

24. Orioles

25. Tigers

26. Mets

27. Astros

28. White Sox

29. Marlins

30. Brewers

Has to have been a while since the BoSox were below the Yankees system, but with the amount of picks they have early this year that won't be for too long. Especially if the Yanks graduate Jesus Montero to the big league roster this year. Also kind of mindblowing that the Phillies manage to keep their system stocked despite the deals to get Oswalt, Halladay and Lee (the 2009 deal obviously). Various organizational lists come tomorrow along with the top prospects list.

Napoli should consider himself lucky. Three hours as a Blue Jay is three hours too long.

Could be worse. Three hours in Yankee Stadium and Cliff Lee bolted from the entire American League.

That argument became forfeit when he chose PHILLY as the place to raise a family. That's up there on the BS meter with Mike Hampton choosing Colorado because of the school system

Right, we kept hearing from mid-October on that Lee's wife hated the Yankee fans and has no interest in her husband playing there but let's absolutely ignore it as a factor. Nonetheless I was being facetious just as I'm hoping Meac was given that his claims have no basis in reality. Coming to Toronto wasn't a tragic experience for guys like Marco Scutaro, Jose Bautista, Scott Downs and the others whose careers were rescued here and leaving it certainly wasn't a blessing for the AJ Burnett's of this world.

Napoli should consider himself lucky. Three hours as a Blue Jay is three hours too long.

Could be worse. Three hours in Yankee Stadium and Cliff Lee bolted from the entire American League.

As of now, the presumptive starting lineup:

DH - Edwin Encarnacion

C - JP Arencibia

1B - Adam Lind

2B - Aaron Hill

SS - Yunel Escobar

3B - Jose Bautista

RF - Juan Rivera

CF - Rajai Davis

LF - Travis Snider

I'm comfortable with this team if they can get a reasonable 3B candidate to push Bautista back to RF and Rivera back to the bench. Juan Rivera should not be an everyday player. If they do that the team isn't going to win the division or anything, but they should at least be able to remain competitive as the newly restocked farm starts to develop and AA continues to look for pieces.

The Jays have certainly cornered the market on hard throwing right handed middle relievers. Not sure how he's a substantial upgrade over, say, Jason Frasor but if Double A has earned anything it's the benefit of the doubt. Still, Rauch, Frasor, Dotel, Villanueva, Roenicke, now Francisco - I don't think this bullpen's big enough for the 6 of them.