Cheech Tremendous

At least you have some pitching depth going into the season. I think the Dodgers could win the division this year, but I still like San Diego and Arizona a bit better. That could change several times by the time the season starts.

For the Dodgers, it might be a good thing if some of the vets get injured. They can win that division if they don't get too comfortable with Juan Pierre and Luis Gonzalez getting the majority of playing time in the outfield.

I'd mark out if they did a title change in Rio de Janeiro.

Jim Callis noted on SOSH that many teams thought Samardzija had enough talent to be the no. 1 overall pick in the draft. He's a project, but the upside is high enough that you could slot him into the top 100 fairly easily. Remember that after first 25-30 guys it's all a crapshoot anyways.

I don't know about that. Billingsley and Broxton have done well for themselves so far. Billingsley has control issues that can be worked out, but he hasn't lived up to the billing (lol) yet. Broxton is a relief pitcher. Billingsley has control issues because he's a young pitcher, and young pitchers are notoriously inconsistent. He still has amazing upside. Broxton has the potential to be a lockdown closer in the very near future. That's as valuable as a middle of the rotation starter. Not everyone can be a no. 1 in the bigs.

It's an excellent idea in theory, but it will take a lot of long-term planning and market research. They can't just show up one day in these foreign markets and expect to make millions. I'm not sure the existing corporate structure could handle such a fragmented operation. The WWE product could do really well in these countries where the style and writing is not overexposed. Wasn't it Rikishi who went into Italy a year or two ago with a WWE-style product that got over like gangbusters? It would probably help the American brands as well to break up the monotony and send some of these guys to work out overseas. But, as was stated in an earlier post, I'll believe it when I see it.

I don't understand those rankings at all. Daniel Bard may hit 100 on the gun, but he only has one pitch and has never thrown in a professional game on any level. He's nowhere near Buchholz or Bowden, who both have mulitple pitches and have no. 1 or 2 potential (IMO, Bard will never be more than a reliever). Leaving Pedroia off the list is a travesty. He probably will never be an All-Star, but he'll probably be a top 5 2B in the AL this year. Most of those guys from 40-100 will never crack the bigs. Sometimes you have to take major league readiness into account regardless of potential upside.

I don't know about that. Billingsley and Broxton have done well for themselves so far.

The thing is Dynamite never did much in the WWF or the US as a whole other than the Bulldog's run, and his partner was twice the star he ever was. He's a cult favorite, but he doesn't really have the credentials for WWE's Hall.

With that kind of money it should be moot, but Teixeira is Boras client. Boras always tests free agency first, and Texas, as a policy, don't usually negotiate with him (although they have recently, so maybe the bad blood is gone).

Steve Patterson, general manager of the Portland Trailblazers, unexpectedly resigned today. Didn't real give a reason other than his contract was up soon. It's a real bummer too. Since taking over in May he has totally overhauled that franchise. Hopefully whoever takes over can keep them on the right track.

He's also entering the last year of his deal and his agent has made it clear that he won't return unless he gets big money. The Bills are just trying to get something back for him now even if it means losing their top back.

He was due a $5 million roster bonus. There's no reason to keep him when replacements are cheaper. In the end, he'll probably re-sign with the Ravens for less money.

I'm not sure you're really on to anything here. Do I believe the rumor? Well, not really, but it is odd how they've treated Randy Savage in the past few years. He's just totally ignored. Not only do they not honer him, they don't even take the time to bury him. Every other wrestler's contribution from that generation has been alluded to in some fashion except him. That seems fishy. I think Meltz said the same thing. He didn't think that it happened, but the weird behavior doesn't add up. I'm not sure we'll ever know.

On NBA Coast to Coast, they mentioned that Livingston had the exact same injury happen to his other knee a couple of years back. If that's true, he should be able to make it back this time.

Ahman Green is a much better back as this point than Jamal Lewis. I don't think picking him up would do the Pack any good.

Hogan vs. Andre was the advertised main event for Wrestlemania IV. In my opinion, he headlined the first 8 manias, and perhaps IX as well.

Fire Joe Morgan is a blog that makes fun of bad sports journalism. That sort of writing is to be expected with them and it's for entertainment purposes only.

I don't understand itrackr. It seems like once a week they say my local Target has Wiis in stock, but everytime I go over there they say they haven't had them in months and don't expect any new shipments in the short-term.

Mine shipped yesterday so I should have it by Friday. If anyone wants me to do little write-ups on certain players, just shoot me a line.

For those who were disappointed in Jay Jaffe's poor taste, here's a more official response from Baseball Prospectus.

But sabermetrics aren't understood by the general fan because there is no outlet for them to learn them. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy. How is the average fan supposed to understand the importance and applicability of these stats if they have to watch John Kruk on Baseball Tonight instead of Rob Neyer, or read Murray Chass or Bill Plaschke instead of something by Bill James. Stat guys don't hate regular fans. Some are frustrated by the fact that they are called nerds and that the stuff they care about is put down by others. That they try to bring something new to baseball conversations other that RsBI and are totally rebuffed. Why is is that things have to be dumbed down because it was arbitrarily decided 100 years ago that BA was a way to measure hitters and W-L was the way measure pitchers? VORP is not something that you need calculus to understand. It's probably the simplest thing to understand. How much more did this guy contribute than an average, everday player. It's quick and easy to digest. I still love baseball. I enjoy watching the game at home with a beer. The fact that I love it so much leads me to search for new knowledge. How is that a bad thing?

The thing is BP was called out by name in Chass' column and it wasn't because of poor writing or product, but because he has some childish apprehension to embracing the changing game of baseball. Jaffe's response was equally negative, but it came in a chat that was linked on their website. I think in light of the audiences and context, Chass was far more out of line. It was just an unnecessay knock against an organization that has done a lot of positive things to enhance the public's general understanding of baseball.

I got them all right in about 2 minutes. If that isn't anything like the real Wonderlic, I wouldn't touch anyone who got under a 20. I don't care how many times they can bench 225 or how fast they run the 40.