Bored

PETA Bowl Picks UCLA - phoenixrising December 20th Poinsettia: Utah December 21st New Orleans: Memphis December 22nd PapaJohns.com: Cincinnati New Mexico: New Mexico Las Vegas: UCLA December 23rd Hawaii: Boise State December 26th Motor City: Purdue December 27th Holiday: Arizona State December 28th Champs Sports: Boston College Texas: TCU Emerald: Oregon State December 29th Meineke Car Care: Wake Forest Liberty: Mississippi State Alamo: Texas A&M December 30th Independence: Colorado December 31st Armed Forces: California Sun: South Florida Humanitarian: Georgia Tech Music City: Kentucky Insight: Oklahoma State Chick-fil-A: Auburn January 1st Outback: Tennessee Cotton: Missouri Gator: Texas Tech Capital One: Florida Rose: USC Sugar: Georgia January 2nd Fiesta: Oklahoma January 3rd Orange: Virginia Tech January 5th International: Rutgers January 6th GMAC: Tulsa January 7th BCS: LSU Tiebreak #1: How many total points will be scored in the BCS Championship Game? 44 Tiebreak #2: How many total yards of offense will there be in the BCS Championship Game? 550 Michigan - MFerXtreme87 December 20th Poinsettia: Utah vs. Navy December 21st New Orleans: Florida Atlantic vs. Memphis December 22nd PapaJohns.com: Southern Miss vs. Cincinnati New Mexico: Nevada vs. New Mexico Las Vegas: BYU vs. UCLA December 23rd Hawaii: Boise State vs. East Carolina December 26th Motor City: Purdue vs. Central Michigan December 27th Holiday: Arizona State vs. Texas December 28th Champs Sports: Boston College vs. Michigan State Texas: TCU vs. Houston Emerald: Oregon State vs. Maryland December 29th Meineke Car Care: Wake Forest vs. Connecticut Liberty: UCF vs. Mississippi State Alamo: Penn State vs. Texas A&M December 30th Independence: Alabama vs. Colorado December 31st Armed Forces: Air Force vs. California Sun: South Florida vs. Oregon Humanitarian: Fresno State vs. Georgia Tech Music City: Florida State vs. Kentucky Insight: Oklahoma State vs. Indiana Chick-fil-A: Clemson vs. Auburn January 1st Outback: Wisconsin vs. Tennessee Cotton: Arkansas vs. Missouri Gator: Texas Tech vs. Virginia Capital One: Michigan vs. Florida Rose: USC vs. Illinois Sugar: Georgia vs. Hawaii January 2nd Fiesta: Oklahoma vs. West Virginia January 3rd Orange: Virginia Tech vs. Kansas January 5th International: Ball State vs. Rutgers January 6th GMAC: Bowling Green vs. Tulsa January 7th BCS: Ohio State vs. LSU Tiebreak #1: How many total points will be scored in the BCS Championship Game? 58 Tiebreak #2: How many total yards of offense will there be in the BCS Championship Game? 670

Texans - 17 points Pittsburgh Dallas Cleveland Green Bay Indianapolis Kansas City New England N.Y. Giants Jacksonville Philadelphia Minnesota Arizona Seattle Tennessee Tampa Bay San Diego

Bored Bowl Picks Nebraska - Mecca December 20th Poinsettia: Utah vs. Navy December 21st New Orleans: Florida Atlantic vs. Memphis December 22nd PapaJohns.com: Southern Miss vs. Cincinnati New Mexico: Nevada vs. New Mexico Las Vegas: BYU vs. UCLA December 23rd Hawaii: Boise State vs. East Carolina December 26th Motor City: Purdue vs. Central Michigan December 27th Holiday: Arizona State vs. Texas December 28th Champs Sports: Boston College vs. Michigan State Texas: TCU vs. Houston Emerald: Oregon State vs. Maryland December 29th Meineke Car Care: Wake Forest vs. Connecticut Liberty: UCF vs. Mississippi State Alamo: Penn State vs. Texas A&M December 30th Independence: Alabama vs. Colorado December 31st Armed Forces: Air Force vs. California Sun: South Florida vs. Oregon Humanitarian: Fresno State vs. Georgia Tech Music City: Florida State vs. Kentucky Insight: Oklahoma State vs. Indiana Chick-fil-A: Clemson vs. Auburn January 1st Outback: Wisconsin vs. Tennessee Cotton: Arkansas vs. Missouri Gator: Texas Tech vs. Virginia Capital One: Michigan vs. Florida Rose: USC vs. Illinois Sugar: Georgia vs. Hawaii January 2nd Fiesta: Oklahoma vs. West Virginia January 3rd Orange: Virginia Tech vs. Kansas January 5th International: Ball State vs. Rutgers January 6th GMAC: Bowling Green vs. Tulsa January 7th BCS: Ohio State vs. LSU Tiebreak #1: How many total points will be scored in the BCS Championship Game?64 Tiebreak #2: How many total yards of offense will there be in the BCS Championship Game?710 South Carolina - Cuban Linx December 20th Poinsettia: Utah vs. Navy December 21st New Orleans: Florida Atlantic vs. Memphis December 22nd PapaJohns.com: Southern Miss vs. Cincinnati New Mexico: Nevada vs. New Mexico Las Vegas: BYU vs. UCLA December 23rd Hawaii: Boise State vs. East Carolina December 26th Motor City: Purdue vs. Central Michigan December 27th Holiday: Arizona State vs. Texas December 28th Champs Sports: Boston College vs. Michigan State Texas: TCU vs. Houston Emerald: Oregon State vs. Maryland December 29th Meineke Car Care: Wake Forest vs. Connecticut Liberty: UCF vs. Mississippi State Alamo: Penn State vs. Texas A&M December 30th Independence: Alabama vs. Colorado December 31st Armed Forces: Air Force vs. California Sun: South Florida vs. Oregon Humanitarian: Fresno State vs. Georgia Tech Music City: Florida State vs. Kentucky Insight: Oklahoma State vs. Indiana Chick-fil-A: Clemson vs. Auburn January 1st Outback: Wisconsin vs. Tennessee Cotton: Arkansas vs. Missouri Gator: Texas Tech vs. Virginia Capital One: Michigan vs. Florida Rose: USC vs. Illinois Sugar: Georgia vs. Hawaii January 2nd Fiesta: Oklahoma vs. West Virginia January 3rd Orange: Virginia Tech vs. Kansas January 5th International: Ball State vs. Rutgers January 6th GMAC: Bowling Green vs. Tulsa January 7th BCS: Ohio State vs. LSU Tiebreak #1: How many total points will be scored in the BCS Championship Game? 60 Tiebreak #2: How many total yards of offense will there be in the BCS Championship Game? 690

Chuck Knoblauch - Second Baseman Minnesota Twins 1991-1997 New York Yankees 1998-2001 Kansas City Royals 2002 Awards 1991 A.L. Rookie of the Year 1995 A.L. Silver Slugger - 2B 1997 A.L. Gold Glove - 2B 1997 A.L. Silver Slugger - 2B All-Star Selections: 4 (1992, 1994, 1996, 1997) League Leader 1994: Doubles 1996: Triples Career Ranks SB: 63rd Best Performance July 30, 1999 - New York at Boston Went 5 for 6 with a double, homerun, and 4 RBI against the Red Sox. Hall of Fame Stats Black Ink: Batting - 3 (503) (Average HOFer ≈ 27) Gray Ink: Batting - 67 (360) (Average HOFer ≈ 144) HOF Standards: Batting - 33.8 (209) (Average HOFer ≈ 50) HOF Monitor: Batting - 66.5 (275) (Likely HOFer > 100) Similar Batters in HOF: 1 (Lou Boudreau) Other Similar Batters: Eric Young, Jason Kendall, Edgar Renteria, Mark Grudzielanek, Larry Doyle, Alvin Dark, Dave Lopes, Pete Runnels, Delino DeShields Year-by-Year Win Shares & Wins Above Replacement Level (WARP3) 1991: 20/5.8 1992: 23/7.8 1993: 16/4.5 1994: 20/6.3 1995: 27/9.9 1996: 32/11.1 1997: 23/7.6 1998: 22/8.5 1999: 25/7.1 2000: 10/2.5 2001: 11/3.0 2002: 2/0.0 Career Win Shares: 230 Career WARP3: 74.2 My Stupid Opinion Very good player during the 90's but by age 32 he was already washed up. Had a very good knowledge of the strikezone as the majority of his years he had more walks than strikeouts. His Gold Glove in 1997 was largely undeserved as he was above average at his best and then became very poor a couple of years later when he developed a mental block when it came throwing to first base. Having that happen to you while you are playing for the Yankees just magnified the problem and his offensive numbers would begin their downward spiral the following year.

Chili Bowl Picks Miami of Ohio - Hawk 34 December 20th Poinsettia: Utah vs. Navy December 21st New Orleans: Florida Atlantic vs. Memphis December 22nd PapaJohns.com: Southern Miss vs. Cincinnati New Mexico: Nevada vs. New Mexico Las Vegas: BYU vs. UCLA December 23rd Hawaii: Boise State vs. East Carolina December 26th Motor City: Purdue vs. Central Michigan December 27th Holiday: Arizona State vs. Texas December 28th Champs Sports: Boston College vs. Michigan State Texas: TCU vs. Houston Emerald: Oregon State vs. Maryland December 29th Meineke Car Care: Wake Forest vs. Connecticut Liberty: UCF vs. Mississippi State Alamo: Penn State vs. Texas A&M December 30th Independence: Alabama vs. Colorado December 31st Armed Forces: Air Force vs. California Sun: South Florida vs. Oregon Humanitarian: Fresno State vs. Georgia Tech Music City: Florida State vs. Kentucky Insight: Oklahoma State vs. Indiana Chick-fil-A: Clemson vs. Auburn January 1st Outback: Wisconsin vs. Tennessee Cotton: Arkansas vs. Missouri Gator: Texas Tech vs. Virginia Capital One: Michigan vs. Florida Rose: USC vs. Illinois Sugar: Georgia vs. Hawaii January 2nd Fiesta: Oklahoma vs. West Virginia January 3rd Orange: Virginia Tech vs. Kansas January 5th International: Ball State vs. Rutgers January 6th GMAC: Bowling Green vs. Tulsa January 7th BCS: Ohio State vs. LSU Tiebreak #1: How many total points will be scored in the BCS Championship Game? 56 Pts Tiebreak #2: How many total yards of offense will there be in the BCS Championship Game? 572 San Diego State - the walkin' dude December 20th Poinsettia: Utah vs. Navy December 21st New Orleans: Florida Atlantic vs. Memphis December 22nd PapaJohns.com: Southern Miss vs. Cincinnati New Mexico: Nevada vs. New Mexico Las Vegas: BYU vs. UCLA December 23rd Hawaii: Boise State vs. East Carolina December 26th Motor City: Purdue vs. Central Michigan December 27th Holiday: Arizona State vs. Texas December 28th Champs Sports: Boston College vs. Michigan State Texas: TCU vs. Houston Emerald: Oregon State vs. Maryland December 29th Meineke Car Care: Wake Forest vs. Connecticut Liberty: UCF vs. Mississippi State Alamo: Penn State vs. Texas A&M December 30th Independence: Alabama vs. Colorado December 31st Armed Forces: Air Force vs. California Sun: South Florida vs. Oregon Humanitarian: Fresno State vs. Georgia Tech Music City: Florida State vs. Kentucky Insight: Oklahoma State vs. Indiana Chick-fil-A: Clemson vs. Auburn January 1st Outback: Wisconsin vs. Tennessee Cotton: Arkansas vs. Missouri Gator: Texas Tech vs. Virginia Capital One: Michigan vs. Florida Rose: USC vs. Illinois Sugar: Georgia vs. Hawaii January 2nd Fiesta: Oklahoma vs. West Virginia January 3rd Orange: Virginia Tech vs. Kansas January 5th International: Ball State vs. Rutgers January 6th GMAC: Bowling Green vs. Tulsa January 7th BCS: Ohio State vs. LSU Tiebreak #1: How many total points will be scored in the BCS Championship Game? 61 Tiebreak #2: How many total yards of offense will there be in the BCS Championship Game? 515

They're cornering the shut in market that can't even talk to someone on the phone, although they would still have to the answer the door. I suppose they could just leave their tip on the doorstep.

Memorial Bowl Picks Texas - UTBroward December 20th Poinsettia: Utah vs. Navy December 21st New Orleans: Florida Atlantic vs. Memphis December 22nd PapaJohns.com: Southern Miss vs. Cincinnati New Mexico: Nevada vs. New Mexico Las Vegas: BYU vs. UCLA December 23rd Hawaii: Boise State vs. East Carolina December 26th Motor City: Purdue vs. Central Michigan December 27th Holiday: Arizona State vs. Texas December 28th Champs Sports: Boston College vs. Michigan State Texas: TCU vs. Houston Emerald: Oregon State vs. Maryland December 29th Meineke Car Care: Wake Forest vs. Connecticut Liberty: UCF vs. Mississippi State Alamo: Penn State vs. Texas A&M December 30th Independence: Alabama vs. Colorado December 31st Armed Forces: Air Force vs. California Sun: South Florida vs. Oregon Humanitarian: Fresno State vs. Georgia Tech Music City: Florida State vs. Kentucky Insight: Oklahoma State vs. Indiana Chick-fil-A: Clemson vs. Auburn January 1st Outback: Wisconsin vs. Tennessee Cotton: Arkansas vs. Missouri Gator: Texas Tech vs. Virginia Capital One: Michigan vs. Florida Rose: USC vs. Illinois Sugar: Georgia vs. Hawaii January 2nd Fiesta: Oklahoma vs. West Virginia January 3rd Orange: Virginia Tech vs. Kansas January 5th International: Ball State vs. Rutgers January 6th GMAC: Bowling Green vs. Tulsa January 7th BCS: Ohio State vs. LSU Tiebreak #1: How many total points will be scored in the BCS Championship Game? 81 Tiebreak #2: How many total yards of offense will there be in the BCS Championship Game? 713 LSU - teke184 December 20th Poinsettia: Utah vs. Navy December 21st New Orleans: Florida Atlantic vs. Memphis December 22nd PapaJohns.com: Southern Miss vs. Cincinnati New Mexico: Nevada vs. New Mexico Las Vegas: BYU vs. UCLA December 23rd Hawaii: Boise State vs. East Carolina December 26th Motor City: Purdue vs. Central Michigan December 27th Holiday: Arizona State vs. Texas December 28th Champs Sports: Boston College vs. Michigan State Texas: TCU vs. Houston Emerald: Oregon State vs. Maryland December 29th Meineke Car Care: Wake Forest vs. Connecticut Liberty: UCF vs. Mississippi State Alamo: Penn State vs. Texas A&M December 30th Independence: Alabama vs. Colorado December 31st Armed Forces: Air Force vs. California Sun: South Florida vs. Oregon Humanitarian: Fresno State vs. Georgia Tech Music City: Florida State vs. Kentucky Insight: Oklahoma State vs. Indiana Chick-fil-A: Clemson vs. Auburn January 1st Outback: Wisconsin vs. Tennessee Cotton: Arkansas vs. Missouri Gator: Texas Tech vs. Virginia Capital One: Michigan vs. Florida Rose: USC vs. Illinois Sugar: Georgia vs. Hawaii January 2nd Fiesta: Oklahoma vs. West Virginia January 3rd Orange: Virginia Tech vs. Kansas January 5th International: Ball State vs. Rutgers January 6th GMAC: Bowling Green vs. Tulsa January 7th BCS: Ohio State vs. LSU Tiebreak #1: How many total points will be scored in the BCS Championship Game? 62 Tiebreak #2: How many total yards of offense will there be in the BCS Championship Game? 625

TV Schedule for the Week of 12/17 - 12/23 Back to a normal schedule this week that features an ass load major non-conference games including Duke/Pittsburgh, Georgetown/Memphis, and Texas/Michigan State. MONDAY Albany at Duke, 7:00/4:00 PM, ESPN2 TUESDAY Kansas at Georgia Tech, 7:00/4:00 PM, ESPN Kentucky at Houston, 9:00/6:00 PM, ESPN WEDNESAY Memphis at Cincinnati, 7:00/4:00 PM, ESPN2 THURSDAY Duke vs. Pittsburgh, 7:00/4:00 PM, ESPN Oklahoma State vs. Oral Roberts, 7:00/4:00 PM, ESPN2 Oklahoma vs. Gonzaga, 9:00/6:00 PM, ESPN2 SATURDAY Georgetown at Memphis, Noon/9:00 AM, ESPN UCLA at Michigan, 2:00 PM/11:00 AM, CBS Tennessee at Xavier, 2:00 PM/11:00 AM, ESPN Florida at Ohio State, 3:45/12:45 PM, CBS Stanford vs. Texas Tech, 4:30/1:30 PM, ESPN2 Texas vs. Michigan State, 6:30/3:30 PM, ESPN2 Missouri vs. Illinois, 8:00/5:00 PM, ESPN2 SUNDAY Virginia Tech at Wake Forest, 5:30/2:30 PM, FSN Cincinnati at N.C. State, 7:30/4:30 PM, FSN

I don't think he'll get in. Probably be a 15 year ballot guy but his career numbers aren't overwhelming due to all his injuries and that'll keep him out. If I had a vote I would lean slightly towards "yes" as him being a HOF due to an excellent peak and playing phenomenal defense at a very important defensive position, even if there is some credence to what Czech said.

Brady Anderson - Outfielder Boston Red Sox 1988 Baltimore Orioles 1988-2001 Cleveland Indians 2002 Awards None All-Star Selections: 3 (1992, 1996, 1997) League Leader 1996: Extra Base Hits Career Ranks None of note Best Performance August 7, 1998 - Baltimore at Minnesota Career high five hits which included two homeruns and two doubles. Hall of Fame Stats Gray Ink: Batting - 37 (643) (Average HOFer ≈ 144) HOF Standards: Batting - 26.1 (376) (Average HOFer ≈ 50) HOF Monitor: Batting - 38.0 (473) (Likely HOFer > 100) Similar Batters in HOF: None Top 10 Similar Batters: Johnny Callison, Devon White, Rick Monday, Roy White, Lloyd Moseby, Chet Lemon, Claudell Washington, Jimmy Wynn, Ray Lankford, Amos Otis Year-by-Year Win Shares & Wins Above Replacement Level (WARP3) 1988: 3/1.4 1989: 7/2.1 1990: 7/3.0 1991: 6/1.8 1992: 29/11.3 1993: 18/6.4 1994: 12/6.2 1995: 19/6.6 1996: 28/10.0 1997: 26/7.2 1998: 13/4.4 1999: 23/8.8 2000: 15/5.4 2001: 8/2.4 2002: 0/0.2 Career Win Shares: 214 Career WARP3: 77.3 My Stupid Opinion A bit of a late bloomer as his breakout year didn't come until age 28 as to that point he looked like he might be a bust. Will always be remembered for being the least likely player ever to hit 50 homeruns. He's the only player in MLB history to hit 50 homeruns in one season without having a 30+ homerun season at any other point in his career (not counting Prince Fielder). Interesting enough his breakout year of '92 is ranked as being better than his '96 season by both Win Shares and WARP. I'm guessing it has to do with his 53 stolen bases that year and I think he was probably a much better defensive outfielder at that point. Also in 1996 everyone seemed to be hitting 50 homeruns so his year doesn't really standout. Not as good as what his similar batters show as Wynn and Otis in particular were much better players.

My Picks Poinsettia: Utah New Orleans: Florida Atlantic PapaJohns.com: Cincinnati New Mexico: New Mexico Las Vegas: BYU Hawaii: Boise State Motor City: Purdue Holiday: Arizona State Champs Sports: Boston College Texas: TCU Emerald: Oregon State Meineke Car Care: Wake Forest Liberty: UCF Alamo: Penn State Independence: Alabama Armed Forces: Air Force Sun: South Florida Humanitarian: Fresno State Music City: Kentucky Insight: Indiana Chick-fil-A: Auburn Outback: Tennessee Cotton: Missouri Gator: Texas Tech Capital One: Florida Rose: USC Sugar: Georgia Fiesta: Oklahoma Orange: Virginia Tech International: Rutgers GMAC: Tulsa BCS: LSU 50/677

Well I do see Baseball America had Gonzalez as the D-Backs top prospect, Anderson is #3, Cunningham is #7, and Carter is #8. Gonzalez apparently has a plus arm and hits for power but doesn't draw many walks. They might as well deal Blanton too as what'd be the point now in hanging on to him?

2008 Oakland A's: We don't give a fuck till you give us our Fremont stadium! Who knows Haren's arm could blow up next year and maybe two or three of these guys end up being All-Stars. But as I said before it is pretty hard to think positively about your team when they dump their 26-year old ace, with no injury history, who they had locked in thru 2010 at a low salary. I'll at least wait to read up more on the prospects before I slit my wrists but at first glance none of the names jump out at me.

Chuck Finley - Starting Pitcher California/Anaheim Angels 1986-1999 Cleveland Indians 2000-2002 St. Louis Cardinals 2002 Awards None All-Star Selections: 5 (1989, 1990, 1995, 1996, 2000) League Leader 1993: Complete Games 1994: Innings Career Ranks K: 23rd K/9: 55th Best Performance May 23, 1995 - New York at California Matches his career high 15 strikeotus while two hitting the Yankees in Mariano Rivera's MLB debut. Hall of Fame Stats Black Ink: Pitching - 6 (363) (Average HOFer ≈ 40) Gray Ink: Pitching - 156 (86) (Average HOFer ≈ 185) HOF Standards: Pitching - 27.0 (170) (Average HOFer ≈ 50) HOF Monitor: Pitching - 53.5 (230) (Likely HOFer > 100) Similar Pitchers in HOF: None Top 10 Similar Pitchers: Mark Langston, Mike Torrez, Vida Blue, Doyle Alexander, Mickey Lolich, Fernando Valenzuela, Curt Simmons, Billy Pierce, Orel Hershiser, Joe Bush Year-by-Year Win Shares & Wins Above Replacement Level (WARP3) 1986: 4/1.8 1987: 3/1.7 1988: 8/4.1 1989: 19/7.0 1990: 23/9.6 1991: 14/5.9 1992: 11/4.1 1993: 19/8.4 1994: 14/7.1 1995: 12/6.5 1996: 16/8.7 1997: 11/4.8 1998: 17/7.2 1999: 14/5.7 2000: 16/7.7 2001: 3/1.9 2002: 9/4.9 Career Win Shares: 213 Career WARP3: 97.0 My Stupid Opinion Although it might not be saying much, Finley is probably the second best first ballot player this year. Was an extremely durable pitcher as in his 15 years as a starter he pitched more than 180 innings in 13 of them. Probably was a tad underrated as the Angels were rarely contenders during his career. Ranks in the Top 30 all-time in strikeouts but also ranks in the Top 30 all-time in walks. In the end though he'll end probably be remembered best for getting his ass kicked by his then wife Tawny Kitaen.

Interesting to note that Mark McGwire's name is not on the list and the only real focus on him in the report was his legal (at the time) usage of andro so this could help his HOF chances. Of course Rafael Palmeiro's name isn't on it as well so maybe not.

Texans - 24 points Houston Cincinnati Arizona Tampa Bay Baltimore Cleveland Green Bay Pittsburgh New England Seattle Kansas City Indianapolis San Diego Dallas N.Y. Giants Minnesota

This would belong in both the college and NFL threads so I'll take care of this thread: Bobby Petrino has resigned as head coach of the Falcons to take the Arkansas' job.

Travis Fryman - Third Baseman Detroit Tigers 1990-1997 Cleveland Indians 1998-2002 Awards 1992 A.L. Silver Slugger - SS 2000 A.L. Gold Glove - 3B All-Star Selections: 5 (1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 2000) League Leader None of note Career Ranks None of note Best Performance July 28, 1993 - New York at Detroit Hit for the cycle (5 for 5, 4 RBI) although in a losing effort against the Yankees. Hall of Fame Stats Black Ink: Batting - 2 (582) (Average HOFer ≈ 27) Gray Ink: Batting - 20 (991) (Average HOFer ≈ 144) HOF Standards: Batting - 26.4 (371) (Average HOFer ≈ 50) HOF Monitor: Batting - 36.0 (491) (Likely HOFer > 100) Similar Batters in HOF: None Top 10 Similar Batters: Ken Caminiti, Bret Boone, Vern Stephens, Miguel Tejada, Larry Parrish, Benito Santiago, Doug DeCinces, Gus Bell, Richie Hebner, Bobby Grich Year-by-Year Win Shares & Wins Above Replacement Level (WARP3) 1990: 8/3.6 1991: 17/4.3 1992: 19/9.0 1993: 28/9.7 1994: 15/6.4 1995: 19/9.4 1996: 17/8.1 1997: 17/7.8 1998: 18/6.6 1999: 7/1.8 2000: 22/6.8 2001: 5/0.1 2002: 7/0.8 Career Win Shares: 198 Career WARP3: 74.4 My Stupid Opinion He was to be the heir apparent to Alan Trammell at shortstop in Detroit but eventually ended up at hot the corner where he became a very good defensive third baseman. Outside of an outstanding 1993 season at age 24 he never quite became the offensive threat some thought he would be but was a very solid, consistent performer through out the decade. Nagging injuries cut his career short at age 33.

Here's a statistic: 29 posts either directly about LaTroy Hawkins or that in some way related to the original post about the Hawkins' signing. That's about 28 posts too many for any middle reliever.

TV Schedule for the Week of 12/10 - 12/16 It's finals week so there isn't much action at all until Saturday. WEDNESDAY Cincinnati at #17 Xavier, 7:00/4:00 PM, ESPN2 SATURDAY Oklahoma State at #11 Pittsburgh, Noon/9:00 AM, ESPN UAB vs. Kentucky, 2:00 PM/11:00 AM, ESPN Arkansas at Oklahoma, 3:00 PM/Noon, ESPN2 #22 Louisville vs. Purdue, 3:30/12:30 PM, CBS #17 Xavier at Arizona State, 4:00/1:00 PM, FSN Texas Tech at New Mexico, 4:00/1:00 PM, Versus Ohio vs. #3 Kansas, 5:00/2:00 PM, ESPN2 #2 Memphis vs. Middle Tennessee, 7:00/4:00 PM, ESPN2 SUNDAY #1 North Carolina at Rutgers, 8:00/5:00 PM, ESPN

Dust Bowl Picks Rutgers - the pinjockey December 20th Poinsettia: Navy December 21st New Orleans: Memphis December 22nd PapaJohns.com: Cincinnati New Mexico: Nevada Las Vegas: BYU December 23rd Hawaii: Boise State December 26th Motor City: Purdue December 27th Holiday: Texas December 28th Champs Sports: Boston College Texas: TCU Emerald: Oregon State December 29th Meineke Car Care: Wake Forest Liberty: UCF Alamo: Penn State December 30th Independence: Alabama December 31st Armed Forces: California Sun: South Florida Humanitarian: Georgia Tech Music City: Kentucky Insight: Indiana Chick-fil-A: Auburn January 1st Outback: Tennessee Cotton: Arkansas Gator: Virginia Capital One: Florida Rose: Illinois Sugar: Georgia January 2nd Fiesta: Oklahoma January 3rd Orange: Virginia Tech January 5th International: Rutgers January 6th GMAC: Tulsa January 7th BCS: LSU Tiebreak #1: How many total points will be scored in the BCS Championship Game? 44 Tiebreak #2: How many total yards of offense will there be in the BCS Championship Game? 460 Boise State - Vitamin X December 20th Poinsettia: Utah December 21st New Orleans: Memphis December 22nd PapaJohns.com: Cincinnati New Mexico: Nevada Las Vegas: BYU December 23rd Hawaii: Boise State December 26th Motor City: Purdue December 27th Holiday: Texas December 28th Champs Sports: Boston College Texas: Houston Emerald: Maryland December 29th Meineke Car Care: Wake Forest Liberty: UCF Alamo: Penn State December 30th Independence: Alabama December 31st Armed Forces: California Sun: South Florida Humanitarian: Fresno State Music City: Kentucky Insight: Indiana Chick-fil-A: Auburn January 1st Outback: Tennessee Cotton: Missouri Gator: Virginia Capital One: Florida Rose: USC Sugar: Hawaii January 2nd Fiesta: Oklahoma January 3rd Orange: Virginia Tech January 5th International: Rutgers January 6th GMAC: Tulsa January 7th BCS: LSU Tiebreak #1: How many total points will be scored in the BCS Championship Game? 45 Tiebreak #2: How many total yards of offense will there be in the BCS Championship Game? 312

Wait till you see the schwag bag for that bowl.

Shawon Dunston - Shortstop Chicago Cubs 1985-1995, 1997 San Francisco Giants 1996, 1998, 2001-2002 Pittsburgh Pirates 1997 Cleveland Indians 1998 St. Louis Cardinals 1999, 2000 New York Mets 1999 Awards None All-Star Selections: 2 (1988, 1990) League Leader None Career Ranks None of note Best Performance June 4, 1989 - Chicago at St. Louis Hit two homeruns and a triple in a rout of the Cardinals. Hall of Fame Stats Gray Ink: Batting - 6 (1622) (Average HOFer ≈ 144) HOF Standards: Batting - 16.9 (835) (Average HOFer ≈ 50) HOF Monitor: Batting - 14.0 (950) (Likely HOFer > 100) Similar Batters in HOF: None Top 10 Similar Batters: Jim Fregosi, Juan Samuel, Terry Steinbach, Carlos Baerga, Phil Garner, Greg Gagne, Bill Freehan, Granny Hamner, Hubie Brooks, Daimon Easley Year-by-Year Win Shares & Wins Above Replacement Level (WARP3) 1985: 8/3.2 1986: 14/4.7 1987: 5/2.2 1988: 13/5.2 1989: 18/6.1 1990: 15/3.6 1991: 14/4.1 1992: 1/0.6 1993: 1/0.2 1994: 8/2.5 1995: 16/4.9 1996: 8/3.4 1997: 11/3.7 1998: 3/0.1 1999: 8/1.8 2000: 4/1.2 2001: 4/1.7 2002: 0/-0.8 Career Win Shares: 151 Career WARP3: 48.3 My Stupid Opinion Gives Todd Stottlemyre a run for his money for the weakest player on the ballot honors. Decent player in the late 80's and early 90's but back surgery basically wiped out two seasons for him in 1992 and 1993. Had decent power for a shortstop but never saw a pitch he didn't like (.296 career OBP, 203 walks in 6276 plate appearances) and was a mediocre defensive shortstop. He lasted 18 years but the second half of his career was as a utility player and clubs loved his "veteran presence", especially the Giants.

So the Barry Bonds to the A's rumors are picking up. There had been prior reports that they were close on a deal before the indictment came down and then they broke off talks but with the a trial unlikely to happen until after the season it seems like they might be picking up again. I'll wait until he actually signs before making any lengthy comments on this but beyond the obvious issues he really doesn't fill a hole for the A's. They already have a player with a similar skill set in Jack Cust (left handed power hitter, draws a lot of walks, liability defensively), mind you not as good as Bonds. I'd just prefer they not bother with the freak show and it's not like Bonds is the missing piece of the puzzle to win a World Championship as the A's are no where close to that at the moment.

Texans - 17 points Chicago Jacksonville Dallas Buffalo N.Y. Giants Green Bay Pittsburgh Tennessee St. Louis Tampa Bay Seattle Minnesota Cleveland Denver Baltimore Atlanta