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10/29/07 DLD: The 2007 season is finally over

Dsc07545_smiley_tiny by gotgreen on

Who else is ready for the 2008 season to start?!

The end of the postseason means it is the start of rumors, trades, and signings!

Here are some tidbits from around the league:

  • The Yankees officially made an offer to Joe Girardi for the manager job and he is expected to accept. (link). Buster Olney also reports that Don Mattingly will NOT accept a position on the Yankees coaching staff.

Star-divide

  • A-Rod opted out of his contract with the Yankees. (The AN discussion about that is here.) The younger Steinbrenner says:

"It’s a shame," Hank Steinbrenner, who is now running the Yankees, said late Sunday night. "But we are all in agreement: myself, my dad, my brother, all the baseball people. If you don’t want to be a Yankee and paid what you’re being paid, we don’t want you, that’s the bottom line. You’d be hard-pressed to argue that point. If you don’t understand the magnitude of being a Yankee and understand what that means, and being the highest-paid player in baseball, I think it’s pretty obvious."

  • The NY Post says that the Dodgers and manager Grady Little are discussing a buyout so that Joe Torre can manage the Dodgers. (link) Hmm, if Torre goes to the Dodgers, is there a better chance A-Rod will go to LA too?

  • And since it's almost Halloween, here's an article about baseball and ghosts!  (link)

Sox centerfielder Coco Crisp tells a story about a haunted elevator in the Westin St Francis hotel in San Francisco, visiting team hotel of the Oakland A's. Crisp recounts an eerie ride up to his room that left him sleepless that night. His teammate at the time with the Cleveland Indians, C.C. Sabathia, thought a ghost entered the elevator while he was on it and got off on the 17th floor. Veteran teammate and former Sox outfielder, Ellis Burks, swears a ghostly woman walked by him. Burks asked to change rooms.

Michael Young: "My roommate wakes me up in the middle of the night and says he saw a ghost above him. He was freaking out. So I got a big glob of toothpaste and put a big cross on the door and I told him, 'Is this good enough for you? 'Cause I'm going back to sleep.'"

HAHA!

CONGRATS TO BRAD ZIEGLER AND HIS WIFE ON THE ARRIVAL OF THEIR BABY GIRL! :)

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My first thought this morning

was, thank goodness the offseason is finally here.

Girardi -- good choice, I think.

"Female ass are strange creatures. They come and go as they please." -- Sigourney Weaver

by oblique on Oct 29, 2007 9:52 AM PDT   0 recs

girardi

considering he wanted to trade all the talented young players on the marlins for overpaid veterans, he is a good choice to manage the yankees.

A's v Giants "is kind of like the difference between going to see the Ramones and going to see the Bee Gees. A's fans will go see the Ramones." -BB 07/27/05

by xbhaskarx on Oct 29, 2007 3:25 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

I read it

which MUST mean I've been an A's fan too long.

"Female ass are strange creatures. They come and go as they please." -- Sigourney Weaver

by oblique on Oct 29, 2007 3:59 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

lol
A's v Giants "is kind of like the difference between going to see the Ramones and going to see the Bee Gees. A's fans will go see the Ramones." -BB 07/27/05

by xbhaskarx on Oct 29, 2007 4:05 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Hm

That prediction about the Marlins' performance this year doesn't look so hot right now.

In fact, pretty much this entire season has been ammo for the argument that Girardi was a significant part of the Marlins' pseudo-run last season.

He was clearly the right hire for the Yankees. He's not a dolt; compared to the other leading lights of the Fox crew, he was far and away the most intelligent. I don't doubt that he made some significant errors in his first year (as I'm sure everyone does), but I think he (unlike many managers) will take a lesson from them.

by PaulThomas on Oct 29, 2007 4:08 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Whoa there

2007 Marlins ERA: Last in the NL

  1. 8th out of 16.

What the hell does that have to do with the manager? maybe the new guy didn't leverage his pitchers well, but it's extremely unlikely that the manager has much at all to do with that.

I certainly didn't mean to reopen that argument so that's the last I'll say about that.

by mikeA on Oct 29, 2007 4:18 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

One more

Anibel Sanchez:
2006:17 starts, 152 ERA+
2007:6 starts, 90 ERA+

Josh Johnson:
2006:24 starts, 139 ERA+
2007:4 starts, 58 ERA+

Not Girardi.

by mikeA on Oct 29, 2007 4:35 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

I dunno, seems appropriate given his likely hire

To borrow (and slightly misuse) a debate term, the Girardi argument was retroactively non-uniqued.

His successor managed to do exactly what people were afraid Girardi would, namely, get a bunch of young pitchers injured.

To put it another way, the good things that Girardi is supposed to have done (helped out the rookies, coaxed a few extra wins out of the team with strategy, and so on) were not matched by his successor, while the theoretical bad things (pitcher injuries, Olsen's rageaholism) are increasingly looking like they were beyond his control.

by PaulThomas on Oct 29, 2007 4:55 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

josh johnson

"His successor managed to do exactly what people were afraid Girardi would, namely, get a bunch of young pitchers injured."

but girardi is the one who got josh johnson injured.

A's v Giants "is kind of like the difference between going to see the Ramones and going to see the Bee Gees. A's fans will go see the Ramones." -BB 07/27/05

by xbhaskarx on Oct 29, 2007 5:17 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

It seems about 8376482 times more likely

that Johnson was already disposed toward injuries (as evidenced by his recurring problems this year, which Girardi obviously had nothing to do with) than that somehow one game caused him to be irreparably damaged for life.

I mean, I suppose it's possible, but it's about as plausible as saying that all of Harden's problems this year really were just a freak accident from reaching for a ball.

by PaulThomas on Oct 29, 2007 5:36 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

girardi's successor

so girardi isn't responsible for injuries because certain players are already disposed towards injuries... but his successor is to blame for injuries?

"His successor managed to do exactly what people were afraid Girardi would, namely, get a bunch of young pitchers injured."

A's v Giants "is kind of like the difference between going to see the Ramones and going to see the Bee Gees. A's fans will go see the Ramones." -BB 07/27/05

by xbhaskarx on Oct 29, 2007 5:43 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Eh... I don't really believe Gonzalez CAUSED

the pitchers to get injured. It takes a pattern of stupid behavior on a manager's part to materially increase a pitcher's chances of injury.

That comment was sarcastic, not literal.

by PaulThomas on Oct 29, 2007 9:17 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Or alternatively

one could argue that Girardi's abuse of his young pitchers caught up with them in the form of injuries the following year. Honestly, there isn't much to go on here.

Of the two pitchers mikeA mentions, Johnson was injured in the first week of spring training (with an irritated ulnar nerve, the same injury that Huston Street had), made a brief attempt to pitch in midseason (4 starts, 16 innings total), and then was shut down again for Tommy John surgery. Sanchez made only 6 starts (never more than 6 innings or 110 pitches) before getting injured. I don't see how you can blame Gonzalez in either case.

On the other hand, Girardi was hardly Dusty Baker. Neither of those pitchers ever threw more than 120 pitches in a start in 2006. But they did both have quite a few starts in the 100-115 pitch range. Is there any causal connection between that level of use and both pitchers getting injured the next spring? I don't think the data supports anything either way beyond mere speculation.

Maybe the dark is from your eyes.

by andeux on Oct 29, 2007 5:31 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

marlins

"That prediction about the Marlins' performance this year doesn't look so hot right now."

that's the only comment i regret (yeah that's right, i don't regret accusing grover of saying chone figgins should be AL MVP):
"the marlins will win more games next year than they won this year."

obviously what i meant was however many games they win, the manager will have little to do with it.

so the marlins went from 78 wins to 71, probably because of a little bit of good luck (pokey reece disappearing and being replaced by uggla) turning into bad luck, some players regressing to the mean, and more injuries this year than last year.  

and again, girardi wanted the marlins to trade a lot of their young players for veterans, but beinfest didn't want to.

A's v Giants "is kind of like the difference between going to see the Ramones and going to see the Bee Gees. A's fans will go see the Ramones." -BB 07/27/05

by xbhaskarx on Oct 29, 2007 5:36 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

ZOMG he likes veterans!!!1

Dude, if you were handed that crap and told to put an acceptable team on the field, wouldn't you ask for a few veterans? It's Girardi's job to tell the front office what he thinks the team needs. It's the front office's job to figure out if it can afford it and how to obtain it.

A couple of solid vets might well have put the Marlins in the playoffs last season.

by PaulThomas on Oct 29, 2007 9:22 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

It kind of sounds corny, but you develop a bond with your pumpkins.

by Poppy on Oct 29, 2007 10:10 AM PDT   0 recs

Hmm...

"If you don’t understand the magnitude of being a Yankee and understand what that means... I think it’s pretty obvious."

So what does being a Yankee mean?

It means getting booed for a pop-up.

Can't imagine why A-Rod wouldn't want to lose money to stay.

We should play Jack Cust at shortstop for a week, just so we can feel good about Crosby again.

by Ozzz on Oct 29, 2007 10:27 AM PDT   0 recs

Ready to move on

Thank Selig the 2007 season is finally over.

I love you, k^2. -Poppy*

by kaweahkaweah on Oct 29, 2007 10:43 AM PDT   0 recs

Amen.
This season sucked donkey ass. It's fitting that the Red Sox won, really.
"That doesn't happen in Spiderman."

by Jennifer on Oct 29, 2007 10:49 AM PDT to parent up   0 recs

I beg to differ.

This season sucked rhino ass.

And when I read my subject line, my brain read "beg to dilfer," which reminded me that the 49ers' season is sucking rhino ass, too.

When does the NBA season start?

It kind of sounds corny, but you develop a bond with your pumpkins.

by Poppy on Oct 29, 2007 10:54 AM PDT to parent up   0 recs

I beg to Druckenmiller

(in other words, could be worse)

Able was I ere I saw Elba.

by Leopold Bloom on Oct 29, 2007 10:58 AM PDT to parent up   0 recs

AAAAAAH! My brain!
It kind of sounds corny, but you develop a bond with your pumpkins.

by Poppy on Oct 29, 2007 11:10 AM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Sorry

I hurt you.  Jim Druckenmiller really isn't a name one should casually toss around.

Able was I ere I saw Elba.

by Leopold Bloom on Oct 29, 2007 9:13 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

sad thing about 49ers

is the Patriots get their first pick, which is looking like it could be top 5...

Signatures? We don't need no stinking signatures.

by jubjub on Oct 29, 2007 11:12 AM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Why? What did I miss?
It kind of sounds corny, but you develop a bond with your pumpkins.

by Poppy on Oct 29, 2007 11:29 AM PDT to parent up   0 recs

49ers traded their 2008 1st round pick

for the patriots 2007 1st round pick on the theory that they were getting better (and so their 2008 pick would be higher [as in #]).  Oops, I guess they didn't realize they got very lucky in their 7-9 season (played more like a 5-11 team).  

Signatures? We don't need no stinking signatures.

by jubjub on Oct 29, 2007 11:50 AM PDT to parent up   0 recs

not quite as bad, but

instead, our first round pick is that of the Colts.  IE, we have 2 second round picks.  Maybe the pats will let us get our pick back out of pity?

by noava22 on Oct 29, 2007 12:36 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

ugh

so, so sick of New England sports.  

"Don't be an ass!" --Bill King

by batgirl on Oct 29, 2007 11:30 AM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Who understands Boras

much less A-Rod, but I can completely understand him running as fast and as far from New York as he can.  The place has been nightmarish for him.  And, as much as we all hate the thought, the best fit for ol' Purple Lips is probably Anaheim, both in terms of a good fit for them and a good fit for him.

Able was I ere I saw Elba.

by Leopold Bloom on Oct 29, 2007 10:57 AM PDT   0 recs

Offseason Calendar

Important Dates with predictions

November 6-9: GM Meetings (Rumors of Blanton/Haren to NYM, Billy says "we look at every possible trade")

December 1: Last day to offer salary arbitration (Day that Piazza becomes a FA)

December 3-6: Winter Meetings (Rumors of Blanton/Haren to NYM, Billy says "we look at every possible trade")

December 7: Last day for free agents to accept arbitration (Day Scutaro becomes a FA)

December 21: Day of Mega Trades (Blanton to TB, Street to Yankees, Beckham to SJ Earthquakes)

January 19: Day of Signings (random backup MI and relief pitcher signed)

Offseason Calendar

Signatures? We don't need no stinking signatures.

by jubjub on Oct 29, 2007 11:12 AM PDT   0 recs

How do I miss these things????

Clearly I need to do a better job finding random events to attend.....

The object of the game was simple: Easley handed participants yardlong cylinders of cardboard. They dueled in pairs until one of the tubes broke. Rules included no stabbing, no hitting in the face and no blocking with anything other than cardboard.

There's no crying in baseball!

by gigglingone on Oct 29, 2007 11:22 AM PDT   0 recs

Aaaaaw!
That sounds like it was fun!
It kind of sounds corny, but you develop a bond with your pumpkins.

by Poppy on Oct 29, 2007 11:29 AM PDT to parent up   0 recs

This year in Baseball Awards is on MLB.com

So far the only Oakland A to make an appearance is Eric Chavez and his juggling act in foul territory.

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/awards/y2007/...

I voted a couple times for him even though it wasn't the best.  Makes me miss him.

A's all the way in 07 . . . oh never mind!

by micdog2001 on Oct 29, 2007 11:54 AM PDT   0 recs

Here is my plan for the A's

(Listen up, Billy!)

  1. Sign A-Rod to 12 year, 25 million/per contract.
  1. After five years, plant roids, guns, and letters from al qaeda in his locker, and void the contract.

by mikeA on Oct 29, 2007 12:00 PM PDT   0 recs

Sounds simple enough to me.
It kind of sounds corny, but you develop a bond with your pumpkins.

by Poppy on Oct 29, 2007 12:27 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

I just saw an ad

for a compant that is "Seeking Copy Editor's".
I would say there need is desparate.

Pitchers and catchers report February 9, 2008! (tentative)

by Englishmajor on Oct 29, 2007 12:30 PM PDT   0 recs

so is yours

their need ;)

by noava22 on Oct 29, 2007 12:31 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

and

desperate

haha :)

by noava22 on Oct 29, 2007 12:32 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

What's a "compant?"

I choose not to speculate, lest I suggest some relationship to a certain blue dress.  

The meaning of life is not so much 'found,' as it is 'made.' --Opus

by The Dogfather on Oct 29, 2007 2:40 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

And some poofreaders?
It kind of sounds corny, but you develop a bond with your pumpkins.

by Poppy on Oct 29, 2007 12:39 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

I've read a few poofs

Oscar Wilde was fun and E.M. Forster was incredible.  Um, to read, that is.

Able was I ere I saw Elba.

by Leopold Bloom on Oct 29, 2007 9:17 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

AHHHhHHHhhhhHHHhhHHHhhhhHHhh!!!!
"That doesn't happen in Spiderman."

by Jennifer on Oct 29, 2007 12:47 PM PDT   0 recs

LOL

No. Just a cry for help.

"That doesn't happen in Spiderman."

by Jennifer on Oct 29, 2007 1:04 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

this day is kicking my ass
"The Athletics at Fremont" is heinous

by ArakSOT on Oct 29, 2007 1:11 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Ditto.
"That doesn't happen in Spiderman."

by Jennifer on Oct 29, 2007 1:18 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Well, my day just got better.
I get home and smell something awful in the area. I seek shelter inside only to discover Yellow Dog is missing. I can hear her barking, so I take off on the four wheeler. I find her, and she runs and jumps in my lap, rolling around all over me.... the little bitch had been sprayed by a skunk. She covered me. I've washed my clothes (and me) twice now. I may have to throw away the Huston Street t-shirt I was wearing. I don't want to take a bath in tomato juice. I may kill myself.
"That doesn't happen in Spiderman."

by Jennifer on Oct 29, 2007 4:47 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

The tomato juice bath

is a lot more fun if you add a few gallons of vodka, a bunch of celery, a cup of celery salt and a few bottles of Worcestershire sauce.

Or so I've heard.

"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s

by Nick on Oct 29, 2007 4:57 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Don't forget

the horseradish.

by sslinger on Oct 29, 2007 5:43 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Seems a little disloyal

that the hotel for teams visiting the Oakland A's is in San Francisco.  I imagine the Westin is nicer than the Oakland Marriott, but gee whiz.

"The worst day on a ball field is better than the best day in any office." - David Wright

by kkdaz on Oct 29, 2007 1:14 PM PDT   0 recs

They used to stay at the Oakland Airport Hilton

...until there were some break-ins and jewelry, etc., was stolen from players.  Now they all stay in the city.  

But here's my question:  Roommates?  Roommates?  All that stinkin' money and they still share rooms?  

Give me a break.  

"Put me down and I'll walk off the field." -- Bradley to Macha, 9/06

by skigurl on Oct 29, 2007 3:56 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

yay!

trades are starting to happen!

Tigers acquired shortstop Edgar Renteria from the Braves for RHP Jair Jurrjens and outfielder Gorkys Hernandez.

from rotoworld

by gotgreen on Oct 29, 2007 1:25 PM PDT   0 recs

Clearly those names are made up

Nice try :)

I am Ray Fosse's man crushes for Clay Wood and Jason Kendall.

by franks a lot on Oct 29, 2007 1:30 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Poor Renteria

Keeps playing well, keeps getting traded.

I'm surprised the Braves took so little for him, but I guess they were desperate for a blue-chip pitching prospect.

by PaulThomas on Oct 29, 2007 2:00 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

ATL should have held out for Bonderman
But it seems like their rotation is pretty much set, pending the addition of Glavine.  

by AsWin on Oct 29, 2007 2:19 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

seemed fair to me

Renteria  is a solid player (even if his babip was about 60 points above career average this year), but he's 32 and is on the downside of his career.  Jurrjens and Hernandez are very good prospects, so it seems like a fair trade to me even if Renteria is closer to the .720 OPS guy he was before he went to Atlanta.

Signatures? We don't need no stinking signatures.

by jubjub on Oct 29, 2007 3:05 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

So when Hernandez becomes a superstar

Comerica will become known as Gorkys' Park.

by green star oakland on Oct 29, 2007 2:27 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Why not...

He already has a Welsh band named after him...Gorky's Zygotic Mynci.

I am Ray Fosse's man crushes for Clay Wood and Jason Kendall.

by franks a lot on Oct 29, 2007 2:36 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

On his quest for greatness and notriety

A band has already been named after him...Gorky's Zygotic Mynci.

I am Ray Fosse's man crushes for Clay Wood and Jason Kendall.

by franks a lot on Oct 29, 2007 2:38 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Pardon the almost-too-familiar double post

(Personal) technical difficults with AN

I am Ray Fosse's man crushes for Clay Wood and Jason Kendall.

by franks a lot on Oct 29, 2007 2:40 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Sorry for the nearly-the-same deja vu posts

Having some technical difficulties with the AN site.

"Female ass are strange creatures. They come and go as they please." -- Sigourney Weaver

by oblique on Oct 29, 2007 2:43 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

i wanted to make this comment
A's v Giants "is kind of like the difference between going to see the Ramones and going to see the Bee Gees. A's fans will go see the Ramones." -BB 07/27/05

by xbhaskarx on Oct 29, 2007 3:44 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Me, too.

But I knew, even before scrolling down to gso's comment, that there was no way the setup would have survived untouched for sixteen hours.

It kind of sounds corny, but you develop a bond with your pumpkins.

by Poppy on Oct 30, 2007 6:30 AM PDT to parent up   0 recs