EVIL~! alkeiper

Vanhalen, feel free to write up those columns for the forum if you like. As for other discussion, please take it to the Sports Forum. I'd move this thread myself, but I don't mod this folder.

What amazes me is that the Mets are further away from the playoffs than the Houston Astros.

I think he meant in terms of overrated. Ali is slightly overrated, but he is the greatest heavyweight ever. Like Tyson, Ali was at his best at an earlier age, before the suspension. He was unhittable.

Ok, thank you.

It wasn't like he was an A-1 prospect at any point. I'm surprised Oakland never took a gamble on him.

Not much to my recollection, but he'd sell tickets in Japan, and that's all they need.

Roy Jones Jr.

Its still the best offer he's going to get at this point. Holyfield was taller. When I think of that fight, Holyfield pretty much stepped up and had the fight of his life. Just an amazing performance.

That's true. I have nightmares about your predictions and about Jeff Conine's clutch hits.

The deal is Todd Jones and Brad Correll for Anderson Machado and Ryan Hancock. Hancock I like but pitching prospects are expendable outside the big two. Machado doesn't look like he'll amount to much at this point, and the Phillies have Danny Gonzalez and Carlos Rodriguez at the lower levels, so they needed to make room. Jones is a step above Hernandez at least.

Derek Lowe does not scare me one bit, and neither does Juan Encarnacion. Especially Encarnacion. They can toss the run producer tag around all they want, but a sub-.300 OBP sucks. Besides, the Phillies are 1-11 against the Marlins this season. So you made the team better? We can't possibly lose any more games to the Marlins!

Over the next few years. This was before Giambi's collapse. The idea was that Giambi would move to DH.

Better yet, baseballprimer has a self-immolation thread for Mets fans.

Reports are the Dodgers will trade for Charles Johnson, pending Johnson's approval.

No, but he really kind of should. They've definately started phasing it in. Lofton is playing center two or three days a week. BPro suggested that the Yankees should consider moving Bernie to first base. Any thoughts on that?

Has Bernie become the full time DH? I confess to not catching the Yankees day-to-day. My other brainstorm was Dioner Navarro for Ryan Howard, but that's iffy. I'm just quickly losing confidence in Mike Lieberthal.

Ah ok. I'm no medical expert, so if anyone knows more about this stuff, feel free to correct me. Keep in mind, that does not include Giambi = steroids comments.

Yes.

Phillies trade Ricky Ledee to the SF Giants for Felix Rodriguez. I would believe the Polanco/Rincon deal is off, but I wouldn't be surprised to see the Phillies deal Polanco yet. He can play shortstop, so a team thinking outside the box (perhaps the Cubs) could use him. A Polanco/Lofton deal with the Yankees would make alot of sense as well.

Its worth noting that Paul LoDuca is 32, and on the downside of his career.

I think its good for the Dodgers. They get Hee Seop Choi, a terrific young hitter. They have David Ross and Koyle Hill to cover catcher in the future. And starters are almost always more valuable than relievers. For the Marlins, it improves the team simply by removing the black hole of suck that's been their catchers this season.

Thank god for Paul DePodesta. He'll be the first to say "stick heart and soul straight up your ass. We're here to win."

Of no danger to health or not recurrent. By definition, its cancerous.

That's Wilbur Cooper, not Mort Cooper.

I apologize for the over-saturation of these. I'll be working most of the weekend, so we'll see a reduction for a few days. Next player out of the hat is Jimmy Wynn. I'm glad to do this one, because regardless of his HOF worthiness, Wynn is overlooked in baseball history, and he was really quite good. 1. Was he ever regarded as the best player in baseball? Did anybody, while he was active, ever suggest that he was the best player in baseball? No. 2. Was he the best player on his team? Yes, from 1965-70, he was the best player on the Houston Astros. These Astro teams had Eddie Mathews, Rusty Staub, Joe Morgan, Mike Cuellar, Larry Dierker, and Don Wilson, so being the best from that group is no small feat. Wynn was also the best player on the 1974 National League Champion LA Dodgers, a team that included Steve Garvey, Davey Lopes, Don Sutton, and Tommy John. 3. Was he the best player in baseball at his position? Was he the best player in the league at his position? Yes, Jimmy Wynn was the best center fielder in baseball from 1967-70, and again in 1974. 4. Did he have an impact on a number of pennant races? His Astro teams, being expansion squads, did not compete seriously until 1972. In '72, Wynn hit 310/464/529 in September, but the Astros ultimately lost out to the Cincinnati Reds. And as stated before, he was the key player on the NL Champion Dodgers in 1974. 5. Was he good enough that he could play regularly after passing his prime? No. He was finished after the age of 34. 6. Is he the very best baseball player in history who is not in the Hall of Fame? No. Ron Santo holds that honor, in my view. 7. Are most players who have comparable statistics in the Hall of Fame? None of his most comparable players are in the Hall of Fame. 8. Do the player's numbers meet Hall of Fame standards? Wynn scores low on all the major tests of HOF standards. 9. Is there any evidence to suggest that the player was significantly better or worse than is suggested by his statistics? Yes. Wynn played in an extreme pitchers' era, and played his entire career in good pitchers' parks. The Astrodome in the '60s was second only to Dodger Stadium in terms of hitting difficulty, and then Wynn spent his last good seasons IN Dodger Stadium. 10. Is he the best player at his position who is eligible for the Hall of Fame? Yes, assuming you don't think Dale Murphy is more qualified. 11. How many MVP-type seasons did he have? Did he ever win an MVP award? If not, how many times was he close? Wynn had several MVP type seasons, although he never led the league in Win Shres in any specific year. Voters did not agree, as Wynn only finished in the top 10 once, in 1974 (he finished fifth). 12. How many All-Star-type seasons did he have? How many All-Star games did he play in? Did most of the players who played in this many All-Star games go into the Hall of Fame? Wynn made three All-Star teams, in 1967, '74 and '75. That's a low total for a HOF candidate. 13. If this man were the best player on his team, would it be likely that the team could win the pennant? Yes. See again the 1974 Dodgers. 14. What impact did the player have on baseball history? Was he responsible for any rule changes? Did he introduce any new equipment? Did he change the game in any way? None apparent. 15. Did the player uphold the standards of sportsmanship and character that the Hall of Fame, in its written guidelines, instructs us to consider? Yes. Conclusion: What makes a player underrated? Playing for losing teams, outside of major media markets. Playing in an era and park which masks a player's talents. Doing lots of things well, rather than excelling at one thing. Wynn was an excellent player. The problem is that his numbers don't match up because of his playing conditions, and the voters of his time failed to account for them as well. I don't know if Wynn deserves the Hall, but he is quite an intriguing candidate.