WHO HAS IT WORSE?
WHO HAS IT WORSE? Remember the good old days, when Kevin Brown’s 7/$105M deal with the Dodgers seemed like the worst contract in history? Brown was baseball’s first $100M man; and the deal included twelve chartered flights from Georgia for Brown’s family. A year later the Angels, not to be outdone, gave Mo Vaughn 6/$80M. …
HEAD FIRST SLIDES HURT BOTTOM LINES
HEAD FIRST SLIDES HURT BOTTOM LINES According to FanGraphs, A.J. Pollock tied for second in wins above replacement (WAR) among outfielders last season; and he was fourth overall in WAR in the National League. His unique combination of speed and power (20 HRs/39 SBs) make him a must-have for any fantasy team. And, when paired…
DOLLARS & SENSE
DOLLARS & SENSE It was quite an (un)eventful off-season for the Boys in Blue. When the Diamondbacks swooped in and paid Zach Greinke 6/$206.5M, Andrew Friedman and company took a ton of flak. An oft-held belief is that the Dodgers have unlimited money, and that not signing Greinke was simply a bad business decision. Unfortunately…
HOT SEAT
HOT SEAT The Boston Red Sox 2012 season – what was supposed to be a bounce-back year after the fried chicken and beer calamity that was the 2011 campaign – ended with a thud. The Bobby Valentine experiment failed (in Spring Training), and so the Red Sox needed their third manager in three years. In…
FAMILY TIME
FAMILY TIME If you are like me, you spend a great deal of time worrying about being a good parent, making sure you spend quality time with each of your kids, and giving/showing/having the appropriate amount of love for each (if you have more than one). That said, when you have a son who has…
THE GOOSE IS LOOSE
THE GOOSE IS LOOSE If you even tangentially follow baseball, by now you probably have heard about Rich “Goose” Gossage’s tirade about the current state of baseball. If you don’t have the time to listen to an old man shouting “get off my lawn”, allow me to provide you with just a handful of highlights:…
TRANSCENDENT STARS
TRANSCENDENT STARS Every few years baseball is graced with a couple of transcendent stars. Merriam-Webster would tell you that “transcendent” means “far better or greater than what is usual”. When we – as baseball fans – discuss transcendence, we talk about players whose names span the ages – players who can easily be dropped into…
PATIENCE . . . PART 2
PATIENCE . . . PART 2 As it is written, it is done. On Friday I wrote about many contracts – and one specifically lacking. And, over the weekend, that one player got a new deal. Ian Desmond, he of the turned down 7/$107M offer, took a 1-year deal to play leftfield for the Rangers. …
PATIENCE ISN’T ALWAYS A VIRTUE
PATIENCE ISN’T ALWAYS A VIRTUE I try to teach my kids patience. It is an uphill battle – has been since birth – but I constantly try. Delayed gratification, I explain to them, is the best kind. A bird in the hand is only half as much as two in the bush, I calculate for…
THE ONLY CONSTANT IS CHANGE
THE ONLY CONSTANT IS CHANGE The season ended November 1st, just 114 days ago. In some ways, it feels like yesterday; and in other ways, it feels like a lifetime ago. But one thing is certain, as players report to training camp, your team, my team, your buddy’s team, your rotisserie team (Millenials, look it…