EVIL~! alkeiper

Darrell May and Brian Anderson were more prone to giving up home runs in 2004, if that means much. Lima gave up 33 home runs in 170.3 IP, while Anderson allowed 33 in 166 IP. May allowed 38 in 186 IP. Both played in a park much more prone than home runs than Dodger Stadium. Both allowed a higher than usual rate of home runs. Lima has a track record. The only two years Lima was good were the two years he pitched in the Astrodome, one of the most pitcher friendly parks in baseball. Even then, he rated high on the list of league leaders for giving up home runs. Lima not only gives up home runs, he gives them up consistantly, year after year.

I don't like this at all. It's amusing to me that Lima was touted as a proven innings-eater. Meanwhile, he's the most homer prone pitcher in baseball. Lima allowed 17 home runs in 68 IP on the road this season. His comeback year with the Royals last season included a 4.91 ERA, and a 6.50 ERA at Kaufmann Stadium.

Check it out MLB.com has a short interview up with a player from each team. Steve Karsay from the Yankees, Terry Francona of the Red Sox, Joe Borowski from the Cubs, etc. Mostly fluff, but a fun read nonetheless.

1. Vlade Divac was a valuable player for the Kings, don't get me wrong. 2. That value is reflected in his ability and contributions on the court. 3. The contention is that keeping Divac would not have helped the Kings, as Divac has battled injuries most of the season. The Kings' winning percentage is currently .680. Last season, it was .671. If Divac's lost leadership is hurting the team, why are they winning more games? If they have declined, it is the result of key players such as Doug Christie and Chris Webber passing their primes. Vlade Divac might be a team leader, but he is also an aging player himself, and could become a liability.

What good is Divac's supposed team leadership when it couldn't get the Kings to the NBA Finals? Wouldn't it then be time to try something different? And why is Divacs leadership so fragile that it can't help the Lakers? What makes it such a vauge skill, that it only works in this one situation? Team leadership is b.s. It has little effect on a team's success. It's just an excuse to overpay media darlings.

The veterans Sabean acquired have a knack for staying healthy, and putting together solid seasons. I never in a million years thought Marquis Grissom would be a valuable player, but here we are. In addition, he has built a solid young pitching staff. Read again. Moorad's in the bottom five.

The point is valid. What good would Vlade do in Sacramento when he can't play? Motivate them off the bench? Hell of a way to spend a few million bucks.

Probably in the top 10. Deserves a ton of credit for finding Scott Brosius after he had a poor year with the Athletics in 1997. He generally makes smart moves, despite Steinbrenner's interference. Theo Epstein has never worked for Beane. He's considered one of baseball's young new "sabermetric" GMs. He's made some questionable moves, but he did what no GM in 85 years could do. He's hired some smart people, and overall he'd make the top 10. For the record, here are my top ten GMs, in no particular order... Theo Epstein (Red Sox) Brian Cashman (Yankees) Billy Beane (Athletics) Walt Jocketty (Cardinals) Terry Ryan (Twins) Mark Shapiro (Indians) J.P. Riccardi (Blue Jays) Brian Sabean (Giants) Paul DePodesta (Dodgers) John Scherholz (Braves) I could be convinced to flip a few of those around. Bottom five... Ken Williams (White Sox) Jeff Moorad (Diamondbacks) Bill Bavasi (Mariners) Dave Littlefield (Pirates) Jim Bowden (Nationals)

Without looking it up myself, how many teams are good when they don't use any of their three best pitchers? Point is, the other GM's aren't considered geniuses. I mean, the Twins have won 3 straight division titles with a minute payroll and no one calls their GM a genius. Terry Ryan spent $18 million to keep Shannon Stewart when his farm system was stocked to the brim with corner outfielders, and kept Christian Guzman and Luis Rivas as his starting shortstops. Beane won the AL West three times with the Seattle Mariners and Anaheim Angels fighting hard within the division. The AL Central is not nearly that difficult. Not to unduly criticize the Twins, as they are a success, and Terry Ryan usually does a good job. But the Twins won 90+ games three years in a row. The Athletics are on a five year streak of 90+ wins, and twice won 100+ games. They are more successful, and when you win that many games, your success lies beyond simply the contributions of your three best starters.

I haven't read them myself, but Robert Creamer's books on Babe Ruth and Casey Stengel are commonly listed amongst the best baseball biographies.

Without looking it up myself, how many teams are good when they don't use any of their three best pitchers?

Ah, homerism at its finest. The Cardinals are not runaway favorites to win the NL Central. They face a tight race, with lost production up the middle, a weaker catcher (I doubt Molina outperforms Matheny just yet), and several players who had career years will likely regress. Could the Cardinals dominate next year? Yes. But Catcher8C's post assumes the best case scenario in every situation. Larry Walker is an injury risk. Ankiel and Lincoln could be nice pitchers, but they have much to prove. Carpenter missed the postseason with an injury. Mulder was horrid in the second half. Last year's club won 105 games almost solely because Pujols, Rolen, and Edmonds all had great years. Pujols I won't doubt for anything, but I doubt Rolen and Edmonds repeat their seasons. That said, I do think Jocketty is an underrated GM. He has a knack for getting the most out of trades. He built the 2000 club mostly out of trades, and hardly gave up any future major league talent to do so. I wouldn't say he's the best, but he's likely in the top third.

I belive it's Moses Fletwood Walker in the early 1880's. Correct me if I'm wrong, Al. I think I read something in Total Baseball about that. I'll get back to you guys tonight on that. Ok. In February of this year, the Providence Journal published evidence that the first professional black player was not Moses Fleetwood Walker, but was in fact William Edward White, who played a single game for the Providence Grays in 1879.

I picked that up one year. It was a nice read. The entire Stats Inc. line of books was great, before they merged with Fox. I miss the minor league Player Register.

They definately overpaid for Varitek. It's unlikely he'll be worth $10 Million in four years.

I belive it's Moses Fletwood Walker in the early 1880's. Correct me if I'm wrong, Al. I think I read something in Total Baseball about that. I'll get back to you guys tonight on that.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=1953071 Shame to see him go.

While I am not sure if they will try to sign Weaver, I am not sure it forces their hand. If they were not inclined to deal with Weaver and Boras during last year's pennant race, I don't think they'll start panicking now. Remember, there's still time left in the offseason, and a few more starters (Millwood, Milton, Lowe) floating around.

Ladies and Gents, I've opened up a baseball blog at http://cultofabreu.blogspot.com. This does not represent a cessation of my work here at TSM, rather an extension of it. It allows me to post thoughts about baseball that normally wouldn't fill a column. Best of all, I've enlisted HarleyQuinn, the Man In Blak, and Bruiser Chong to post as well. Check it out!

Total Baseball is just a terrific book. It strives to be much more than a statbook. The new edition carries history pieces, such as old articles from Sport magazine. If you have any questions about Baseball history, this book probably has it. A few others I enjoy... John Sickels' Minor League Prospect Book An annual, self published by Sickels. My most trusted source for information on minor league prospects. Runs about $25, including shipping. You can find info at http://www.johnsickels.com. Koppett's Concise History of Major League Baseball Late sportswriter Leonard Koppett runs the gammit of baseball history. Particularly useful in detailing baseball's long history of labor strife. The New Biographical History of Baseball When I need information about a player that reaches beyond statistics, I consult this book. Whatever Happened To the Hall of Fame? Bill James' work on the Baseball Hall of Fame. Particularly good for clarifying the HOF argument. Also contains excellent research on the origins and history of the Hall itself. Baseball Dynasties Rob Neyer and Eddie Epstein's book about baseball's greatest teams. A fun read all around.

Varitek got 4 years, $40 Million. When Boras announced he wanted 5 years, $50 Million, we all scoffed.

Jeter actually stole third 11 times, which was second most in baseball.

I've seen far, far worse contracts this offseason.

I just received my copy in the mail. It is not your traditional Bill James book. It is your standard annual statistics register, with James' name attached. It carries career statistics for every active major leaguer, and a ton of fun little tidbits. Here are a few fun facts I picked up while browsing the book... -Moises Alou hit 29 home runs in Wrigley Field, and ten on the road. -Colorado manager Clint Hurdle led baseball in sacrifice attempts. Gotta love smallball in the majors' best hitting park. -Ichiro led the AL in both batting average versus both lefties and righties. Ichiro also hit over .400 on the road. -Carlos Beltran stole third base 17 times, most in the Majors. -Manny Ramirez boasted a 1.294 OPS when hitting a curveball. -The Cubs' Mark Grudzielanek boasted baseball's best batting average in Close and Late situations. -Bobby Abreu saw the most pitches last season (3,081). -Kyle Farnsworth threw 30 pitches over 100 mph. The next highest pitchers (Billy Wagner and Jesus Colome) had eight. Rich Harden threw the most pitches over 95 mph (746). http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detai...g=UTF8&v=glance

Hot streak. Sturtze was awful through August. His streak of good pitching consisted solely of 16 good innings in September. Remember in the postseason Sturtze still walked five batters in six innings, and he posted a 6.75 ERA in the divisional series. Sturtze is 34, and carries a career ERA of 5.23. It is HIGHLY unlikely that a single good month represents a new standard of excellence for a pitcher, particularly at that point in his career.