EVIL~! alkeiper

I took this test once when I was younger and found myself scored as a libertarian or some sort. But when I really looked at the test, I found the answers were often determined by the phrasing of the question. You can reword these questions and bring out a different political identity from a lot of people.

If this guy is good, then why would the Royals place him on waivers? The Royals have a crowded outfield. Reggie Sanders, Joey Gathright and David DeJesus have starting spots, Emil Brown is the 4th outfielder, and Matt Stairs is DH/5th outfielder. They needed to clear a spot on the 40 man roster for yet another pitcher, so Guiel was designated for assignment. Any of those five are probably better hitters (Brown I'm not sure of, but he had a hot season last year). All of them would also help the Yankees as well. Looking over the numbers, I wasn't surprised to see the Royals ranked 13th in runs scored, but I was surprised to see they have scored more runs than the Oakland A's. The reason they're terrible is that they have allowed 505 runs this year. Only the Orioles are even close to that mark.

That's a fair point. Every good club has it's combination of superstars and good role players. Teams with many stars have lost pennants because the other players on the club were simply awful. Right now the Yankees' left fielders as a group have hit 257/334/383, and their right fielders have hit 266/326/411. Both marks were enhanced by the now injured Hideki Matsui and Gary Sheffield. The player Guiel would likely take at bats from is Bubba Crosby, currently hitting 217/277/283. The numbers above don't indicate that Guiel as a lefty would benefit from playing in Yankee Stadium. Guiel isn't a star. He's simply an improvement over the patchwork of players the Yankees have sent out the last few months. He's a low average guy who will produce through his walks and power, and he's a defensive asset. And the Yankees didn't give up a player for him. What's the waiver price to the Yankees? Peanuts.

The NY Yankees acquired Aaron Guiel off waivers from the Royals. This is a great, great acquisition. Guiel is like Bubba Crosby except that he can actually hit.

Ok, that was really, really funny.

The Adam Bernero era is over in Philly, as he was designated for assignment. Carlos Ruiz and Chris Roberson were called up. On my end, the exciting news is that Michael Bourn has been promoted to AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Putting Pele on there would be like putting Winston Churchill on Mt. Rushmore.

Boston's bullpen was awful in 1987. Bob Stanley had been moved to the rotation, while new closer Wes Gardner posted a 5.42 ERA. Oh yeah, John Marzano was their backup catcher, garnering the .283 OBP that gave him the credentials to critique the Phillies on Comcast.

It's risk/reward. You either go after the Wade Millers, or pay 3 years/$18 million or so for proven averageness.

Lance has inspired millions of cancer patients to keep living. He transcends sports now. I would feel very, very weary about putting Lance on there. I think the entire sport of cycling is going to take a freefall with the PEDs coming to light.

The only money fight left is Tyson/Holyfield III. I can't see the public giving a damn about anything else.

The problem with college football's championship is that it was designed to solve a specific problem when there are two qualified teams. It fails when there's just one dominant team, or more than two. Personally, I think the real problem is the obsession with the idea that there HAS to be a champion in sports. I say abolish the national championship and return to the old format. If you adopt a playoff system, you'll end up devaluing every bowl except for the championship, just like the BCS has done. I think a 16 seed will eventually defeat a no. 1. But so far there have been (I think) 84 instances of a 1 vs. 16 matchup, and the 1 seed has won every single time. When the 16 seed wins, it'll be a 100:1 shot. And that's for one game. A 16 seed needs to win six games to win the whole tournament. For all intents, that's statistically impossible. But here's the real problem. You would more than double the number of games in the tournament. And a majority of those would be bigger mismatches than a 1 vs. 16. I can't even see it creating many exciting games.

Ok. Muhammad Ali, Babe Ruth, Michael Jordan, Jesse Owens.

Muhammad Ali would absolutely have to be on there.

The problem is that there are 12 pitchers in the AL with 9+ wins, and 24 with 8+ wins. It's too easy to get lost in the pack.

He's sucked this year. 1. A 4.25 ERA is above league average. Taking the park into consideration, Fultz has an ERA 9% above the league. 2. Fultz's peripherals are excellent. A 9.0 K/9 ratio along with just 14 walks in 44 innings pitched. He's simply been a little unlucky with his hits allowed.

I don't see how people can get so upset about Travis Hafner. Without the DH, you have David Ortiz, Jim Thome, Paul Konerko, Jason Giambi. That's a VERY crowded field.

He's 8-0. It's not about being the best pitcher, just having the best track record. How can you really argue against 8-0?

On a side note, I'm really hoping Ryan Howard goes to the Home Run Derby.

I'm troubled more by the exclusion of Francisco Liriano than by the exclusion of Curt Schilling. Mark Redman may have surpassed Ken Schrom as the worst All-Star in recent memory.

How come? Does the world demand a pitcher at bat in the game?

It's a fundamental argument. Kruk argued that the All-Star game should just carry the DH, and I agree with that.

The fans nailed six of eight in the National League. That's pretty impressive. EDIT: And now Kruk's complaining that Andruw Jones should've gone over Carlos Beltran. This is what's annoying me about this selection pick. Regardless of who you think is the deserving choice, they really should talk more about the guys who WERE chosen. This is their showcase.

Since we're bound to have some discussion when ESPN/MLB unleashes the picks in an hour, let's have a separate place to discuss them. Here are your 2006 Win Shares All Stars, as of 6/25/06. National League C: J. Estrada, Ari 1B: A. Pujols, StL 2B: C. Utley, Phi SS: J. Reyes, NYM 3B: D. Wright, NYM LF: A. Soriano, Was CF: C. Beltran, NYM RF: B. Abreu, Phi SP: B. Webb, Ari American League C: J. Mauer, Min 1B: P. Konerko, CWS 2B: J. Lopez, Sea SS: D. Jeter, NYY 3B: J. Crede, CWS LF: C. Crawford, TB CF: C. Granderson, Det RF: J. Dye, CWS DH: J. Thome, CWS SP: J. Santana, Min Some thoughts... -ESPN.com ran a roll asking for the fans' choices. They listed eight candidates for starting pitcher, NONE of whom were Johan Santana. For the record, Santana leads the AL in ERA, strikeouts, and is one back in the wins race. -There will be a lot of talk about "snubs." There's your list up top. If a player isn't the best at his position, I don't think he qualifies. Good players get left off of All-Star teams. It's not a merit badge for having a good season.