Cheech Tremendous

Shawn Springs and the Patriots have an agreement in place, but nothing has been finalized.

Did I click on the Graphics and Testing folder by mistake?

The difference between A-Rod and a replacement level player is roughly 10 runs, or 1 win, per month. If he just misses April, you're fine with a Berroa/Ransom or Grudzielanek type. If it gets to be any longer than that they'll have to look outside the organization for help. They could definitely get Mark Teahen or Bobby Crosby. Garrett Atkins or Adrian Beltre are probably available for the right mix of prospects and cash.

Tep ten pitchers, sorted by ERA, in 2007. ERA Peavy-SDP 2.54 Lackey-LAA 3.01 Webb-ARI 3.01 Penny-LAD 3.03 Carmona-CLE 3.06 Haren-OAK 3.07 Smoltz-ATL 3.11 Young-SDP 3.12 Bedard-BAL 3.16 Oswalt-HOU 3.18 All ten of these pitchers saw their ERA rise last year and all ten of them pitched less innings. I think seven of them spent time on the DL. Can we now say that being a top ten pitcher causes you to get hurt, too? I don't disagree with your larger point, Czech, but the numbers you presented are very inconclusive. If you make up a team of the league's best players many of them will post inferior numbers the following season simply due to regression.

That residual heat can also be used to clean the pan easily. If you wash it down with water while it's still screaming hot all of the bits and fats will jump right off. Use a paper towel to wipe up the excess moisture and you've got a clean pan without having to worry about messing up the pan's "seasoning."

This is all interesting, but you'd have to grab another test group of pitchers who didn't go the WBC for comparison's sake. Pitchers get hurt all the time and ERAs jump all over the board. I'm not saying that attaching this to the WBC is wrong, but it's not overly convincing either. Correlation does not necessarily indicate causation. For the record, I'm not a WBC guy. I don't care who wins and there's a slim chance that I watch more than a game or two.

The reports now state that he has a torn labrum. Cashman thinks rehab and rest will take care of the problem, but surgery would probably put him out for most of the season. This would be similar to the injury suffered by Mike Lowell last season and he's still not 100%. Not a good day for A-Rod.

Most of pots and pans are shitty. Standard fare bachelor stuff that I bought when I got my first place. The most indispensable pan in my arsenal is my 12" cast-iron skillet. I know that cast iron gets a bad rap because of the weight and the assorted problems with seasoning the surface, but damn is it flawless for the preparation of any sort of meat. I can't imagine trying to cook a decent steak or burger in the home without one.

Xavier Nady has a total of three innings at third base in the minors and majors combined. If he was really that good, he would have had an opportunity to stick at the position. Teixeira came up as a 3B, but hasn't played there in years. I don't think he'd be real happy at switching back now after signing his huge deal.

No, I meant the Giants. A perennial Super Bowl contender with a good QB/coach and a need for a #1 receiver? They'll definitely be a rumored suitor, but like I said in my original post, I don't see the fit there. They'd be an extreme long shot at this point. I can't see Belichick taking on a a primadonna like TO. There were issues with Moss in terms of attitude and commitment, but he was never disliked by his teammates. TO's run himself out of town at multiple places now.

One of the mods took care of it. I've been using a guideline of 10 posts before I split topics, but if you see something that needs its own thread (like TO), feel free to speak up. We don't catch everything.

Agent hit it on the head when he said TO will require three things: money, a chance at a ring and a good QB/coach. Who fits those qualifications? I can see San Diego, Denver, and New Orleans being options. I guess there's an outside chance of him landing in Chicago or Minnesota, but they don't have the quarterback play to entice him. Any others I'm missing? I don't see the usual suspects getting involved (Indy, NY Giants, NE or Philly). NY Jets could be a fit. Miami would be up there, but I don't think Parcells would want him. Would Washington take a look?

From the Cleveland Plain Dealer:

Knock it off, both of you. If you want to talk TNA go ahead, but get thee to NHB if you want to name call.

I don't touch the stuff.

It only took till the 14th round in a 20-team league for DC's #1 pitcher and closer to be selected. Ladies and gentlemen, your 2009 Washington Nationals!

I take in quite a bit of ESPN daily, but usually restrict it to the following: ESPNnews during lunch (for an hour or so) ESPN Radio during commute (1/2 hour or so) PTI (1/2 hour) espn.com while I have my coffee (10-15 minutes) All together, I take in about 2-2.5 hours a day of espn, which is certainly more than I would have guessed. However, I don't feel as bombarded by the hype machine as many of the rest of you do. Maybe the problem isn't the corporation, but how you're taking it in. If you're consuming several hours a day of Sportscenter, Primetime, Baseball Tonight, etc., then yes, you're probably getting overloaded on stories. Even when I have games on, I'm usually reading or listening to music at the same time. Really, succumbing to hype is probably a result of just consuming too much television.

Idaho is bizarre. If you stay up near the panhandle it's all rednecks and eastern Washington flameouts. Get down in the southeast corner and it's whacko Mormons. The sweet spot is right around Boise, which happens to be a beautiful city with a surprising amount of culture and nightlife.

We had a unit of Shakespeare every year in English, but I don't know whether or not that was unique to the AP/Honors program. 9th - Romeo & Juliet 10th - Julius Caesar 11th - Othello 12th - Hamlet

Has anyone had a chance to read or peruse The Fielding Bible II? I had it pre-ordered from Amazon but ended up canceling my order when fangraphs.com added UZR data to their free content. I don't know if it's worth it to get the book now.

Scott Olsen, SP

I hate to get into overrated/underrated arguments because so much of it depends on how and where you're getting your news, but Lebron deserves every bit of the hype he gets. He may not be as dynamic as Kobe, as dominating as Shaq, as creative as Magic, or as otherwordly as MJ, but he has every opportunity to exceed them all as a player. Whether or not he accomplishes that is to be seen, but as 24-year-old, his on-the-court accomplishments are unprecedented. The fact that's going to take the Cleveland Fucking Cavs to two Finals appearances in three years indicates that he's something special.

Is there a reason you hate Lebron James other than the fact that he's considered by most to be the best player in the NBA? I get that there is no reason to be a fan of a player from another team, but you almost seem offended by his mere presence in the league. It's as if you want him to fail for no other reason than to say, "Look, he failed." I have a little more understanding for hating Kobe, since he raped a chick and every teammate and coach he's ever had say he's a self-centered dick, but by all accounts Lebron's a good guy.

Buyout fallout: -Sacramento Bee says that Drew Gooden will join the Spurs after he clears waivers today. -Joe Smith has agreed to a contract with the Cavs, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. -Also, Stromile Swift to the Suns and Luther Head to the Heat.

I've done beer can chicken before. I did it on the grill, but I sort of misjudged how long it would take and didn't have a proper amount of coals. It turned out well, but it wasn't good enough that I've ever thought about doing it again. Maybe this summer I'll give it another try. As for carving, it just takes some practice. I usually push my knife into the center of the back until I find the bone. From there I move an inch to the left (if you're right handed) and make a cut with an inward sweeping motion. Repeat on the other side. If you brace your knife correctly you should be able to remove the breast in one nice cut. Doesn't hurt to have a nice, sharp chef's knife either.