BP Walnut Creek Pizza Feed Recap

by As Man on Feb 3, 2005 9:49 AM PST

Around 50 baseball fans and a lot of fantasy players convened at the Pyramid Alehouse last night for a Q & A session with James Glick and two other staffers (one was approx. McClefsky and I forgot the other one) from Baseball Prospectus. It was nice to be around other obsessive baseball nerds. Huckabay showed up for about twenty minutes but he can't talk anymore because Billy won't let him.

Glick and the other two fielded questions for over an hour. The questions really covered the gamut, not focused on Oakland, due to the large presence of fantasy players and fans from other teams.

- Prospects? Felix Hernandez is supposedly amazing. They like David Wright. BP's analysis of Daric Barton is hard to gauge because there's nobody to compare him to. Nobody hits that well that young. Glick really likes McPherson too.

- Little Three? Glick says some people think Meyer and Haren will be better than the current Mulder and Hudson. That would be nice.

- AL West? Glick thinks it will be a battle between A's and Angels. Other BP guy said Texas offense isn't as good as it seems. There are some problems. Nobody would say who would win the AL West, but they think it'll be between A's and Angels. M's are still a very old team.

- Depo? They think he's doing well, can't vouch for the Lowe deal. Dodgers will "run away" with division.

- Yankees? BP's prediction has two bell curves: one around 65 wins and the other around 105 wins!!

- Why no DJ? "Because Hatteberg's a really, really nice guy." DJ will be MVP again, come up 2006?

- Rumors? will Sickels join BP? perhaps.

- Schilling ankle? May miss all April.

- Breakout year? Johan Santana. Yes, Johan Santana.

- PECOTA? Good for average players.

- And finally, the Brewers may be decent this year.

Any questions?

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Comments

Thanks dude!

Did Huckaby answer any questions relating to the A's? Well its better not to, cuz hes a member of them.

Billy won't let Huckaby answer questions? Why not?

Peace up, A-Town Down (A town being Albany California, not Atlanta)

by ohad on Feb 3, 2005 9:52 AM PST reply actions

A's notoriously tightlipped

and disciplined about not leaking info outside the organization.

by OaklandSi on Feb 3, 2005 10:50 AM PST up reply actions

which is exactly why

they gave "unfettered access" to their operations and draft room to an author working on a future best-selling novel.

once bitten, twice shy maybe?

RFB 4 ever

by Tim J on Feb 3, 2005 11:34 AM PST up reply actions

BB does talk to Urban, also Slusser

but if they ever leaked something without his ok that would be the end.

by OaklandSi on Feb 3, 2005 12:38 PM PST up reply actions

Moneyball

Beane said that the real cutting edge stuff that the A's do was not revealed in Moneyball. That stays between Beane, the assistant GM (then DePo, now Forst), and apparently now Huckaby.

by OaktownTribesman on Feb 3, 2005 3:33 PM PST up reply actions

Breakout year? Johan Santana. Yes, Johan Santana

Holy crap.

by Sharon on Feb 3, 2005 9:54 AM PST reply actions

If 2004 wasn't his breakout year,

the AL is in trouble. Big time.

by Jennifer on Feb 3, 2005 9:58 AM PST up reply actions

But the bigger question is...

Do guys named Johan tend to get more chicks?

"The sun don't shine on the same dog's ass all the time." -Catfish Hunter

by kaweahkaweah on Feb 3, 2005 10:02 AM PST up reply actions

hey!

I sent you an email yesterday.

by Sharon on Feb 3, 2005 10:06 AM PST up reply actions

Whoops!

I only check that account about once a day...I'll open it now. Sorry.

"The sun don't shine on the same dog's ass all the time." -Catfish Hunter

by kaweahkaweah on Feb 3, 2005 10:09 AM PST up reply actions

no big deal really.

I just didn't want to post it in the Mecir diary. I would have been attacked!

by Sharon on Feb 3, 2005 10:10 AM PST up reply actions

Johan scares me.

by Sharon on Feb 3, 2005 10:07 AM PST up reply actions

Beware the Twins

especially if Mauer and Morneau stay healthy. The Twins don't get as much publicity as the A's with respect to managing a small payroll and developing prospects, but they should.

by silas on Feb 3, 2005 12:01 PM PST up reply actions

Twins

I don't think they get as much recognition 'cuz they play in the Central Division with other small payroll teams. Could you imagine if the A's were in the same division as the Royals, White Sox, Indians, and Tigers. That's about 75 Games/Year with some of the worst teams in baseball over the last 10 Years. If the A's were in that division, we'd be looking at about 6 Division Titles in a row...and counting.

Let's Go Oak-Land!

by Colorado Fan on Feb 4, 2005 8:47 AM PST up reply actions

I though 2004 was his breakout year...

If 2005 is his re-breaking out year...

Damn.

"I DON'T KNOW WHAT WE'RE YELLING ABOUT!!!" -Brick Tamland, Anchorman

by secret ASian man on Feb 3, 2005 6:41 PM PST up reply actions

I wonder how...

man times one person can breakout...

by Jennifer on Feb 3, 2005 6:43 PM PST up reply actions

Maybe...

he "broke back in" this offseason to breakout again.

"I DON'T KNOW WHAT WE'RE YELLING ABOUT!!!" -Brick Tamland, Anchorman

by secret ASian man on Feb 3, 2005 6:44 PM PST up reply actions

All this breaking out...

can't be good for his skin.

by Jennifer on Feb 3, 2005 6:53 PM PST up reply actions

Sickels

What was the deal with the Sickels to BP rumor?

by Brian Durack on Feb 3, 2005 10:41 AM PST reply actions

Sickels

Has been fired by ESPN for budgetary reasons (your probably know) so obviously he's looking for a job. Anyways, this is probably the best plcae for him to go since it fits his talents the best.

Peace up, A-Town Down (A town being Albany California, not Atlanta)

by ohad on Feb 3, 2005 10:46 AM PST up reply actions

Sickels

Well I know that, but I want to know if it was addressed by BP or if it's just a random question someone asked.

by Brian Durack on Feb 3, 2005 10:54 AM PST up reply actions

Oh.

Peace up, A-Town Down (A town being Albany California, not Atlanta)

by ohad on Feb 3, 2005 11:00 AM PST up reply actions

yes

somebody asked in the audience and the BP staffers would neither confirm nor deny.

however i guess BP's offered him a job before and he turned them down

by As Man on Feb 3, 2005 11:01 AM PST up reply actions

I love White Snake lyrics

"Once bitten, twice shy"

Good stuff!

Pizza Party:

Thanks for the update, good stuff. I would love to see the Yankees get about 70 wins, Jesus that would be sweet. A few key injuries and bingo!

Twins: Should get more props, love how they always compete, hate their dome. Santana getting better? He was lights out last year, can't imagin it getting much better, at least in "breakout" terms.

Now THIS is Billy Ball

by Masaryk on Feb 3, 2005 2:38 PM PST reply actions

"breakout"

is supposedly 20% better...in BP talk.

by As Man on Feb 3, 2005 4:00 PM PST up reply actions

White Snake

That band is in Bowling For Soup's "1985". That song makes people born in the 70's/80's sound old. :D

She was gonna be an actress
She was gonna be a star
She was gonna shake her ass
On the hood of white snake's car
Her yellow SUV is now the enemy
Looks at her average life
And nothing has been alright since

Bruce Springsteen, Madonna
Way before Nirvana
There was U2 and Blondie
And music still on MTV
Her two kids in high school
They tell her that she's uncool
Cuz she's still preoccupied
With 19, 19, 1985

Devo's thoughts: "GrnKwlAid: 'Is Green & Gold Girl oggling Bazito again?'"

by GreenNGoldGirl on Feb 3, 2005 6:04 PM PST up reply actions

SR-71

SR-71 also does a version of that song. I never realized it was originally a Bowling for Soup song, so I was confused for a little bit there.

by Furious George on Feb 3, 2005 7:01 PM PST up reply actions

replying to myself

So I don't know if anyone really cares, but I did some research and it turns out that SR-71 wrote and released the song first, and then later on gave the song to BFS and let them do what they wanted with it so they re-wrote it and then released it. Anyways, that's that, I just found it interesting because I'd only heard the SR-71 version and never knew BFS did the song.

by Furious George on Feb 3, 2005 7:10 PM PST up reply actions