EVIL~! alkeiper

They've moved twice already. They certainly can't lose the name though. It's not just an image, it's also an effective marketing tool.

They've punted 2005 but it's made them better for the future...out of Oakland. Really as a rationally thinking fan I know both of these trades could be great but from a fan who doesn't want to see his team gone in a couple of years these trades are horrible. If they're going to move, they're going to move. I don't think any off-the-field shenanigans are going to make it less likely, save for a total collapse that makes Oakland an un-viable franchise. And if 1992-98 didn't do it, I don't think this is the death knell. Another thing about Mulder. He hada 6.13 ERA after the All-Star break. If the A's could hang in with Mulder pitching like that, he shouldn't be missed. The A's still have Zito and Harden.

Milton actually pitched in the Yankees' farm system. He left in the Chuck Knoblauch trade.

I don't think the trade is bad at all for the Athletics. Mulder was useless in the second half anyway. They got a good haul in return. Dan Haren struck out nearly a batter an inning in the minor leagues, posted a better than 5:1 K/BB ratio, and boasts a career 1.22 minor league ERA. He's a good bet to be a good/great major league pitcher, at a small percentage of what they were paying Mulder. Kiko Calero pitched wonderfully wout of the pen last season, and Daric Barton is an insanely good catching prospect. Looking at Barton's OBP, it's surprising that Beane managed to stop drooling long enough to ask for Haren and Calero as well. Thumbs up, and not just from a financial standpoint. This trade makes the Athletics better.

The other thread seems more substantial, so I am simply locking this thread.

I highly recommend pornography.

Now he'll just keep growing it. Do we have another Damon on our hands? He'll look far worse than Damon. Is he amish? He's from Penn. Clement's hometown is just outside Pittsburgh, far from Amish Country. If he were Amish, he might look like Lancaster PA's own Bruce Sutter...

According to the media, Keith Van Horn is "soft." Thus, Van Horn is traded alongside Todd MacCullough to the Sixers, for Dikembe Mutombo. Mutombo hits a sharp decline. The Sixers trade Van Horn away in exchange for Glenn Robinson. Robinson is awful, misses half a season. The Knicks trade Van Horn away, and get Tim Thomas. Thomas fails to produce. Anyone notice a pattern here? Teams trade away Van Horn, thinking he's not good enough. In return, they get screwed.

You know, I've run through the simulation four times (each simulation runs for 1,000 games), and I've gotten three different winners. And that's with the computer knowing the expected output from each player. I think that illustrates the randomness and unpredictability of the baseball season. 25 players could go off in 25 different directions. A player you'd never expect could break out, and another might suffer an equally unexpected collapse. This stuff is insanely difficult to predict. Except the Nationals. They finish last every time.

He's in the game? He's never played in the majors. Of course, EA horrifically underrates minor leaguers and overrates marginal major leaguers (such as Doug Glanville).

That's Angel GUZMAN, not Cruz.

Currently, Wakefield is 8th on the Sox all time wins list, third in games pitched, third in innings pitched, fourth in strikeouts. By the end of the year, he'll likely be third in all categories. Hard to believe, but he's just 12 strikeouts away from passing Cy Young in strikeouts for the Sox.

Seattle signed Sexson the other day. I assumed he meant Troy Glaus.

That's funny. Looking at his stats, I could swear his career took a drastic improvement when he left Florida for Chicago.

Ah. A poster pretending the supposed anger of Randy Johnson has any bearing on Shawn Green's decision. Smells like Anglesault to me.

Ok, let's see... The Yankees would get Randy Johnson. He is owed $10.5 Million next season, plus an additional $12 Million in deferred payments. He is signed through 2005. Total: $22.5 Million. The Dodgers would receive Javier Vazquez and prospects. Vazquez is owed $10.5 Million next season, and $34.5 Million through 2007. The Diamondbacks would get Shawn Green, Brad Penny, and Yhancy Brazoban. Penny is arbitration eligible, and Brazoban would receive the league minimum. However, neither are signed to contracts at the moment, so the D'backs don't owe them as of yet. Shawn Green is owed $16 Million next season. Short term, the Dodgers save $6 Million, the D'backs add $6 Million, and the Yankees break even. Long term, the Yankees save $12 Million, the Diamondbacks save $6.5 Million, and the Dodgers add $18.5 Million.

It's essentially multiple salary dumps. The D'backs get rid of Johnson's contract, the Dodgers dump Green's contract, and the Yankees dump Vazquez's contract.

If Green refuses to waive the NTC, the simple reponse would be to lock him in a room with Randy Johnson and have Shawn Green explain why Johnson has to remain in the bad sitcom that is the Arizona Diamondbacks. Because if Johnson leaves, Green gets to play there. And I'm sure Green would think "better him than me."

The problem is that the taxpayers of Washington D.C. do not want to spend public money on a new stadium. In recent elections, three pro-stadium councilmembers were voted out in favor of three anti-stadium proponents. That is why there is such a sense of urgency on the part of MLB, regarding the December 31st deadline. Once the new councilmembers take office, there will be NO stadium deal of any kind. It's toast. MLB realizes that, but they are still gung ho on the idea that taxpayers will hand them a new stadium on a silver platter. The other unspoken aspect of this deal is the true cost. Media outlets report that the D.C. council wants private investors to pay for half of the construction costs of the new stadium. Note the construction costs. The deal requires approximately $140 Million in private investment. The entire stadium will cost around $584 Million. So in effect, the city of Washington is willing to pay 75% of the cost of a new stadium. New stadiums do very little to spur economic development. The effects of new stadiums in Cleveland and Milwaukee have been negligable at best. The main benefit a new stadium provides is that fans are given the opportunity to pay exorbitant prices to watch Major League Baseball, with the profits going to the owner who did not have to pay a cent to build the facility. Right now, MLB's most potent threat involves moving the team to Northern Virginia. "If you don't pay, we'll move the team ten miles." It's a hell of the threat. It is a wonder D.C. councilmembers manage to hold in the helpless laughter. Bottom line is, this is a fair deal for Major League Baseball. Selig and his cronies reached a deal with Major Williams. Big whoop. A deal reached without the consent or approval of the city is not a deal. It is simply an idea approved by two people who have no regard for the opinions of the citizens of Washington.

When Beltre got a 5 year/$64 Million offer from the Dodgers, he was as good as gone. Beltre's year might have been a fluke, and it may not have been. But $64 Million is a hell of a lot to gamble on that. In my view, it was simply an unmatchable offer. Jeff Kent may be 36, but it is not a long term offer, and Kent was the second best second baseman in baseball last season. He's also a better defensive player than people give him credit for. I honestly don't think he'll suffer a rash decline over the next two seasons. Whether the Dodgers can fill third base will determine their future this season. Placido Polanco could work. Joe Randa is an option. If the trade goes through, Eric Duncan is a future starter for the team. The Dodgers have some great prospects right now. Delwyn Young is tearing the cover off the ball in the minors. If Dioner Navarro and Eric Duncan come over, they have big time prospects in their weakest positions. Given the weak state of the Rockies and D'backs, and the clock on the Giants (toast when Bonds retires), I see no reason to panic about the Dodgers. Besides, if anyone can win on a budget, it's Paul DePodesta.

They do dump Alonzo Mourning's contract in this whole mess, so there is a rational reason behind it.

I think soccer's biggest problem is lack of star quality. The most popular sports organizations in our country (MLB, NFL, NBA) feature the world's best players. 95% of the best soccer players play outside of North America. The quality of soccer just isn't what it is in Europe.

New ownership, new gm, same ol' shit. With Beltre and Finley leaving, Penny, Green, and Brazoban being traded, and last season trading away Lo Duca, Mota, Encarnacion, and Roberts, management has neutered the Dodgers for Javier Vasquez and Hee-Seop Choi. Brilliant. New management were the ones who brought in Brad Penny, Yhancy Brazoban, and Steve Finley in the first place. Assuming the trade comes through, they've replaced a 33 year old catcher who chronically fades in the second half with one of the best catching prospects in baseball. They ditched Encarnacion and his 236/299/405 line and replaced him with Jayson Werth, who hit better and cost the league minimum. They have a third base prospect in place. And in case you didn't notice, they signed Jeff Kent. Under old management, the Dodgers finished last in runs scored. Now, they have a division title, and a real shot at a second.

Johnson had an NLDS with the Astros where he started two games, gave up three uns combined, and left with two losses. That W/L record comes with a 3.08 ERA, and excellent peripherals. Given that his career regular season ERA is 3.07, I see no reason that Johnson can not come through in big games. Schilling has the same peripherals, but his ERA is lower. Schilling is honestly one of the handful of big game pitchers, but he looked bad in the first half of the postseason, and who knows if his ankle will be the same. If they were to meet, I think it would be dead even, odds-wise. I think it depends on the park.

It's more of what happened in the mid to late 80s. The 60s decline of the Yankees occured because Mickey Mantle finally lost his ability, and the newly established amateur draft cut off the main weapon the Yankees had in those days, recruting amateurs with big money.