Chop, Chop: What Is Chavez's Role and Can He Stay On the Field to Fulfill It?
by emperor nobody on Feb 8, 2010 6:12 AM PST
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Employee #3 contemplates whether to tie his shoe and risk further catastrophic injury, or just chill.
So it looks from this
I worry that even if he can stick around and be relatively healthy for most of the season, will he be anything but a ghost of his former self? Every time I think about the fact that (besides Cust, who may K more times than Reggie Jackson blindfolded anyway) the only noticeable pop anywhere near the vicinity of our lineup is the soda on sale at the Coliseum concession stands, I get to fantasizing that Eric will return and somehow provide something (anything? please let our whole team combine for more HRs than Ryan Howard hits by himself) of a legitimate power threat, lest our pitchers get to thinking that the only way they’ll be able to get a win is if they throw a shutout or the rules get changed so our guys get to hit off a tee… or if the other team gets dosed with Belladonna tea.
Other times I take enough powerful psychoactive drugs that tidal waves of ecstatic & joyous optimism roll through my being like sweeping splashes of sublime serendipity & I start to feel he could be the stealth super-sub in our 2010 scheme, with him and Adam "Pete" Rosales forming an effective Wheel of Utility that keeps the rest of the regiment rested and ready. Which I realize only serves to set me up for that moment akin to when you buy a TV set at the flea market and are shocked, surprised and saddened when you get it home and it turns out to be a 29" high definition paperweight. And you herniated a disc lugging it home and you need season-ending medical attention.
So what do you all think, is this the last in a long line of "I am steamrolling towards 100%" phony promises from The Gold Glove of Glass (seen above putting together a special CARE package for Bobby Crosby in exile), or can he contribute and provide a semblance of the stick and a lick of the leather (is there a website for that? my, it sounds naughty) we are gonna need to compete in the West? Please fill this thread with your most passionate opinions and please don't pull a quad typing or anything.
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Happy Monday mates
So football’s done: just two weeks before pitchers and catchers report and Peter Gammons and Ray Ratto pretend they know how.
I was most pleased with yesterday’s result (just who in the F did Archie Manning root for in that game anyway?), remembering from childhood whose fans invented that "paper-bag-on-the-head" Sack of Shame routine way back in the day… so it’s in this spirit that the total lack of center-justified type in this post is dedicated to iglew, and in which today’s toy surprise – a l’il CD I cooked up a while back featuring all the funkiest NFL Films themes – is dedicated to the Saints that went Marching In.
And what’s funkier than N’awlins, after all? Yeah, you right!
Hey, I just bought the team from Lew Wolff... who wants to play third?
Yeah... I got laid there a bunch of times...
Celebrating my 5 year ANniversary... (SPWC/K56/ThePilotsDaredMeToDie/Gaijin_Suketto)
by Gaijin_Suketto on Feb 8, 2010 12:23 PM PST up reply actions
and by the way doctor, thank you...
I just went to YouTube to watch the video for my favorite song of the moment, “Up The Junction” by Squeeze,
and I realized it was from your YouTube channel.
So, thank you very much. What an amazing song.
Celebrating my 5 year ANniversary... (SPWC/K56/ThePilotsDaredMeToDie/Gaijin_Suketto)
by Gaijin_Suketto on Feb 8, 2010 1:29 PM PST up reply actions
Great song
Squeeze is under-appreciated. Or as the kids say, “slept upon.”
''I love Billy Beane. The only mistake he has ever made was writing that braggy book about himself, and how he's so good at computers.'' - Ken Tremendous
by fridaynightfan on Feb 9, 2010 11:26 AM PST up reply actions
down, girl!
no!
Hello, and welcome to "The Leopold Bloom Happy Funtime Stalkers’ Club"--I am your host, Leopold Bloom
by Leopold Bloom on Feb 8, 2010 10:11 AM PST up reply actions
Thank you for posting one of my favorite Chavvy pics ever. Happy Monday to me!
The funny thing about baseball is that people will believe what they want to believe. -Joe Posnanski 8/29/09
It's gotta be the one
where he’s stylin’ the shirt and shades, with an accessory female in the foreground.
That is an awesome picture.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
by iglew on Feb 8, 2010 9:37 AM PST up reply actions 1 recs
Who is that accessory female any way?
She looks hot
"Do I talk to myself? No, I just remind myself of what I'm trying to do. You know, I never answer myself so how can I be talking to myself?" - Rickey
by cuppingmaster on Feb 8, 2010 11:58 AM PST up reply actions
Hubba hubba
The funny thing about baseball is that people will believe what they want to believe. -Joe Posnanski 8/29/09
I predict soon you'll have a tic
I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal
my wife says thanks
for all the cool pictures, and wonders if anyone has that one with Chavvy and Diego at home (I think Diego was grabbing his nose or something).
I hope to see a return and some kind of production from Chavez this season. It has been tough to watch him the last couple of years. He’s still my favorite A, and helped me get back into baseball when I fell away after the strike.
death to myspace!
........
the last in a long line of “I am steamrolling towards 100%” phony promises from The Gold Glove of Glass
Yes.
can he contribute and provide a semblance of the stick and a lick of the leather
No.
Is this the real life-
Is this just fantasy-
Caught in a landslide-
No escape from reality-
There really aren't too many places you could effectively platoon Chavez:
He could steal 1-2 games/week from Kouzmanoff and Davis, or if someone is injured/demoted he could be platooned with Fox or Rosales. I don’t see how the Chavez-to-SS idea makes any sense – he’s unlikely to be much good there defensively and Pennington seems to do okay against righties.
Free dope and fucking in the streets.
I could see him in a straight platoon with Kouzmanoff.
He’d have to hit like it was 3 or 4 seasons ago, but it could be an upgrade if everything broke right. It’s more likely that he costs runs even in that scenario, but, if he does, he’ll probably break down before it costs much in the way of games.
He's done
I’m still amazed he gets talked about. I realize this team is desperate for any sort of offensive punch, but talking about Chavez like he is going to contribute is baffling. I love the guy, but he’s done. Hopefully I have to eat my words on this subject and he plays in 120 games this year, but I’m not going to hold my breath.
Might as well Jump! - Van Halen
It's why I was stunned they picked up Nomar last year
One or two years is probably an anomily in a long career, but long stints on the DL every year is a trend that doesn’t improve with age. Loved watching Chavez over the years, but the investment in him hasn’t worked out as hoped. On the flip side, he’s one of the few recognizeable figures year in and year out so in that sense he’s still needed.
Woohoo, I get to look forward to another 7-6 season ("at best") in 2010! There's nothing like going to Idaho for a bowl game.
Cust's career OPS's vs Lee and Sabathia
Lee: 967
Sabathia: 997
For the record, Chavez:
Lee: 421
Sabathia: 661
but Cust does have an overall platoon split
for his career, his OPS is .863 vs RHP and .735 vs LHP. Considering that Lee and Sabathia are both extremely good LHP, it seems likely that Cust’s success to date against them is just a fluke.
I’m not advocating a strict platoon role for Cust or anything, but he does have a split.
Yum.
Errrr…I mean, no, he won’t be able to stay healthy, why would he?
I think he’ll start the season on the 25 man, play a few games, be ‘day-to-day’, and then the A’s will have to replace him. They’ll move him to the DL, then the 60-day DL, and that will be it. Career ends with a whimper…
Of course, I wish the exact opposite, but no reason to think that could ever happen.
"Bobby Crosby at third is a bit of an adventure. And not like, here’s some hidden treasure, what fun. More like, gah! poison ants!" --alea iacta est
One thing I'm a little concerned about is that he'll try extra hard to play through injuries
given his career is on the line. There’s plenty of evidence to suggest he’s just too broken to play, but he really has no reason at this point to take time off as a preventative measure, or go in for surgery with an eye to being better next season. Basically I think a Garciaparra/Giambi/Piazza type situation, where Chavez attempts to muddle through the year despite poor performance and obvious injuries, is a distinct possibility.
Free dope and fucking in the streets.
Ugh, that just make my tummy ache
At some point, management may have to make that hard decision to DFA Eric Chavez, if he’s not performing and also not injured. That would drag down the team in many ways.
Well
I’m still hopeful that Chavy can make a full recovery the same way Mark Kotsay did. They both have similar injury histories.
You're going to hollywood!
by sf drift king on Feb 9, 2010 2:37 AM PST up reply actions
Mark Kotsay didn't make a full recovery
He sucks now. There’s really no reason to have or want him on your baseball team.
(I’d prefer to avoid having a player of that ilk on the A’s roster.)
Shawn Spencer: "I’m receiving a transmission from your husband. Really more of a voicemail, if I'm being honest. A status update. Perhaps a twitter."
Burton Guster: "I believe it’s called a tweet."
Shawn Spencer: "There’s no way I’m saying that."
Chavy,
I think he would make a good 3B coach. We can’t let 6 GG’s go to waste..
You're going to hollywood!
by sf drift king on Feb 9, 2010 2:33 AM PST up reply actions
"Pennington rounds third, and he's short-hopped by Chavy, who whirls, throws...
Out at 1B on a spectacular play!!!"
I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal
stupid me
this whole time I had been looking at Bay Area media outlets for A’s updates. Next time just check the Minnesota fish-wrap…
Chavez
I don’t really care if he’s productive (well, obviously I hope he is productive), I just want him to be healthy and all that jazz. He probably will not be around after this year or next so it’d be nice to be able to watch him play one last time before he’s gone. It was really a treat to watch him play during the early part of the decade and since he’s been gone the team has certainly lacked that pizazz that he brought to the table.
So looking at this situation solely as a fan of baseball I’d love to see Chavvy on the field for the majority of the season even if he’s not as good as he once was.
"Their batters are patient to the point that it's annoying." -Ryan Franklin
Chavez was always one of my favorites...
so I agree with this. I hope he can play because he’s been a great Athletic over his career. It’s too bad that his career has been hurt by injuries to the extent that it has.
The common thread on this site is to mock Chavez’s inability to stay healthy. I think that’s too bad. The has continued to rehab and after several set-backs. He’s been a stand-up guy his entire career and he’s always maintained a positive attitude. He was a joy to watch at the hot-corner for the A’s during that streak of gold glove seasons.
Good luck Chavy, whatever happens this year, I’ll be rooting for you.
Go A's!
He has had plenty of time to heal and get into shape.
The other shoulder and his back have had two years to heal and get strong.
I would like it if he was strong enough and in good enough shape to play 2 productive games a week for the entire year.
"Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, either way, YOU'RE RIGHT !"
I have to think that 2 year isn't necessarily a long recovery time when you have chronic, severe structural issues
I wish him all the best, even if that just means a career cut short but a relatively pain-free life.
Yea, I agree.
I wish him the best. Hopefully he can at least stay healthy.
Am I the only one that,
when I think about this, the outcome is him being carted off the field on a stretcher?
green text bad.
Hello, and welcome to "The Leopold Bloom Happy Funtime Stalkers’ Club"--I am your host, Leopold Bloom
by Leopold Bloom on Feb 8, 2010 4:53 PM PST up reply actions
what's your guys' favorite color then?
I been using the team color but the white background can’t be changed, believe me I have tried. I’m just anti-Times New Roman black standard font (this is in Garamond but the SB Nation blogging tool only recognizes the most common fonts) and I can’t stand it, but tell me your favorite color & I’ll see what I can do to make these less eye-killing, cuz I understand they can be.
Hey, I just bought the team from Lew Wolff... who wants to play third?
by emperor nobody on Feb 8, 2010 6:57 PM PST up reply actions
Sorry, en.
I like the black on white.
Hello, and welcome to "The Leopold Bloom Happy Funtime Stalkers’ Club"--I am your host, Leopold Bloom
by Leopold Bloom on Feb 8, 2010 7:13 PM PST up reply actions
TWSS?
I swear for you guys it’s gonna be 72 point black Helvetica next time, you won’t even need yer bifocals!!!! LOLOL
Hey, I just bought the team from Lew Wolff... who wants to play third?
by emperor nobody on Feb 8, 2010 7:23 PM PST up reply actions
Let's just pretend that everything is good and he is 100% healthy for the entire season...
and he is able to play regularly this whole year. I just dont know what we are expecting, he has not played in 2 years, so it just seems like we should not expect much. Of course I am hoping that he is healthy and can play and give us some production, but I just dont see that happeneing unfortunately.
There is no A in OFFENSE!!
I pretend the moon is a vat of fondue and I am going to land my baguette spaceship on it
Chavez playing regularly is about as outlandish as that.
"Do I talk to myself? No, I just remind myself of what I'm trying to do. You know, I never answer myself so how can I be talking to myself?" - Rickey
by cuppingmaster on Feb 8, 2010 1:28 PM PST up reply actions
And playing WELL is on top of that, too.
"Bobby Crosby at third is a bit of an adventure. And not like, here’s some hidden treasure, what fun. More like, gah! poison ants!" --alea iacta est
how would you get back?
Hello, and welcome to "The Leopold Bloom Happy Funtime Stalkers’ Club"--I am your host, Leopold Bloom
by Leopold Bloom on Feb 8, 2010 4:54 PM PST up reply actions
On a FGCO
Flying Grilled Cheese Object
"Do I talk to myself? No, I just remind myself of what I'm trying to do. You know, I never answer myself so how can I be talking to myself?" - Rickey
by cuppingmaster on Feb 8, 2010 6:28 PM PST up reply actions
good answer.
Hello, and welcome to "The Leopold Bloom Happy Funtime Stalkers’ Club"--I am your host, Leopold Bloom
by Leopold Bloom on Feb 8, 2010 7:13 PM PST up reply actions
I wish Chavvy would do the classy thing and
retire.
But he will hang out in AZ all season collecting $12 million instead.
I know he loves baseball and he probably is miserable not being able to play. But at some point he should just accept that he is a non-contributor and annual spring training distraction.
I would rather have him rest, rehab, and then start coaching all our infielders as everyone except Ellis is pretty atrocioius at fielding.
Give him time
He has earned the right to try, and with what he’s paid, management gets to insist.
But after a few months back, he should bow to the evidence and retire. (If he’s not doing well, that is.)
Dude, he's a ball player.
I applaud him for trying to rehab and pull it all together for the past few years. I’m sure it’s not fun to injure yourself over and over and over, and start rehab over and over and over. I think he feels bad for not being able to produce after the contract he signed, and it trying to make amends. He has been nothing but amenable, even after we’ve pretty much given his job to someone else and even asked him about playing SS.
"It took eight hours, seven and a half to find the heart"- Earl McCatty
by DyeLongJustice on Feb 8, 2010 5:01 PM PST up reply actions
And by "everyone except Ellis"
I assume you mean “everyone except Ellis, Barton, Pennington, or Kouzmanoff.”
I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal
It's not up to him to retire.
If he can’t help the team, it’s the team’s job to cut him.
Chavez’s job is to be ready to do whatever the team needs of him. If the teams wants him to play, he plays. If the team wants him to sit on the bench, he sits on the bench. If the team wants to clear his space on the roster, they can DFA him and then Chavez can hang it up. But it’s not up to him to make that decision for them.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
I cannot imagine him playing more than 2 innings at shortstop.
I mean, come on. Get real
"They (The 1989 A's) are the best team I ever saw"- Mike Krukow
If Frank Thomas can do it
Anyone can!
"Their batters are patient to the point that it's annoying." -Ryan Franklin
If only the A's could hit as long and hard
as their fans can beat dead horses.
That makes no sense at all.
Just because it includes “long and hard” doesn’t mean it’s something she would say. It’s not.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
TWSS
"Loyal? I'm the most loyal player money can buy." - Don Sutton
Unless she happened to be into both beastiality and necrophilia
I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal
Exactly
We don’t really know much about her, except that she says a lot of things.
http://athleticsforlife.net/
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