Gene Honda Civic

QUOTE(Gregory Pratt @ Nov 18, 2007 -> 05:21 PM) MO MO MO I loved that exchange from the announcers. Not planned at all... My favorite Vasgersianism of the game has to be the Edgar Bergen reference... Timely!

QUOTE(Gene Honda Civic @ Nov 13, 2007 -> 04:11 PM) Looking over the minor leauge FA list last night, I found a couple more interesting names after Bourgouis. Warner Madrigal, a converted OFer. Only 51 innings pitched professionally. Good strikeout rate (11/9IP) in low-A ball as a 23 year old. No clue what his stuff is like, but he's a minor league reliever worth picking up. Oh yeah, I was right about this one... The Rangers gave Madrigal a major league deal -- though he'll likely be sent to the minors -- essentially because the Angels made the mistake of not making the proper deadline put him on the 40-man roster.

QUOTE(Texsox @ Nov 17, 2007 -> 09:18 AM) You would also have to determine how often the letter K appears versus the other letters. To use an extreme example, if there were only 25 players with a "K name" and 23 where in the top 1,000 of all time, that would probably be significant. So it is more than just looking at the averages. If K represents 2% of the players and they are 5% of the strikeouts, that is significant. They did... They used standard deviations.

QUOTE(The Critic @ Nov 16, 2007 -> 08:28 PM) I just read this on Yahoo: http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-1...name-game_N.htm The part that caught my attention was this: "major league baseball players whose first or last names began with K (the strikeout-signifying letter) are significantly more likely to strike out, according to the report published in the December issue of Psychological Science." So here are the all-time single season strikeout leaders: http://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/SO_season.shtml The FIRST person with a K in either name? Dave Kingman, tied for 89th place, then Kingman again tied for 110th place. The first non-Kingman K name? Ron Kittle, tied for 135th place all-time. Career strikeout leader for the letter K? Kingman, 10th all-time, followed by Harmon Killebrew at 15, Ken Griffey Jr at 25 and Jeff Kent at 48. Not exactly "significantly" more likely to strike out IMO... This was debunked by THT... There are something like 10 other letters that produce higher results.

QUOTE(fathom @ Nov 16, 2007 -> 05:06 PM) Wow! I don't think I could disagree more with this comment. Marmol has the potential to be an all-world closer for the next decade. He reminds me so much of K-Rod. If there's anyone in the Sox system who compares to Marmol, it's DLS. Their stuff is strikingly similar.

Really sucks that an injury looks like it might have decided the Heisman and the National Title game... I'm no Oregon fan, but you hate to see things end up that way. So what's the Pac-10 tie breaker like? Winner of ASU/USC to the Rose Bowl... Or is it ASU or OU to the Rose bowl since USC has been there most recently?

http://www.nysun.com/article/66434

QUOTE(witesoxfan @ Nov 13, 2007 -> 07:04 PM) Why do people think Jones is going to get a 1 year deal? This is the same agent that got Magglio Ordonez a 5 year, $75 mill deal with escalator clauses to bring it up to a 7 year, $105 mill deal when Magglio's career was in jeopardy. I don't foresee Andruw Jones getting a 1 year deal, but perhaps that's just me. I don't believe he will get a 1-year deal. His first 10 years are that of a HOFer. He's clearly worth a multiple year commitment. He's earned more than that. However, his poor season has caused his stock to slip such that, in a recent informal survey, 14 of 15 GMs said they'd prefer Torii Hunter. He can sign a long term deal at $.75 on the dollar compared to what he would have gotten at this point last year, or he can take a 1-year deal, believing he will rebound, in an attempt to cash in at $1.10 on the dollar compared to what he would have gotten last year. There's a chance that Boras will find a single team willing to see that one poor season does not a career make, and all it takes is 1. But without multiple big bidders he's not going to get near what he would have a year ago, making a 1-year year deal an attractive opportunity for both sides. It's a possibility that can't be outright ignored based on Boras' reputation. I cited Millwood (on the good) and Weaver (on the bad) as two recent Boras clients who went that route. I believe there's a good chance that Jones will join them.

QUOTE(sircaffey @ Nov 13, 2007 -> 07:29 PM) Andruw already had a contract year. It happened to be his worst year of his career. Why would he want to go through that again next season? He obviously was effected by it. So you believe a player performance is directly related to a players contract status? There's no arguing with that logic.

QUOTE(sircaffey @ Nov 13, 2007 -> 05:20 PM) He could take a one year deal, certainly. He could. But he then takes the risk of following up with another horrible season, and proving he's not the player he was. Or he could take the 5-6 year deal worth $16 mil+ per, and be happy. If he takes a one year deal, he not only risks not getting a 5+ year deal next season, but he's risking getting less than the $16 mil per. I think he's going to cash in now, and be done with it. It's the smart investment move. It has nothing to do with smarts. We're talking about athletes here. Athletes, especially, potential HOF athletes like Jones, have an incredible amount of faith in their ability. I guarantee that Jones thinks his 2007 season was just a speedbump on his road to the HOF. He believes he'll be back hitting 40+ HR next season and for the foreseeable future. Boras clients are after one thing. $$$ and the most they can get. They'll pass on deals that buy out their FA years while still arb eligbile. They'll forego the guaranteed money now for the promise of future riches later... Another Boras client, Jeff Weaver, is an example of what can go wrong when the athlete is unable to hold up his end of the deal. He's signed 1-year deals in each of the last two seasons. He was looking for a 5-year deal two seasons ago. And at least a 3-year deal last off-season. To his, and Boras' surprise, there wasn't much market for a below-average innings eater.... Now he's on the outside looking in. If Boras and Jones don't get the offer they're looking for, in both in years and overall $$$ amount, they'll find away to get him back on the market as quickly as possible. It's their MO.

QUOTE(sircaffey @ Nov 13, 2007 -> 04:55 PM) Furcal did that so he could get to the prime age to cash in on a long-term contract, age 31. Age 31 is the perfect time to maximize your earnings. You'll be in your declining years for half the contract while still getting paid like you are in your prime years. If Furcal would have hit the free agent market at age 34, he would get far less of a contract. If he would have taken a 5-6 year deal, he'd be getting paid for his prime years for that amount of time. Now, by taking the 3 year contract, he will get paid like he is in his prime years for those 3 years plus his next contract of 5-6 year for a total of 8-9 years instead of the 5-6. It was a wise move by Furcal to take the 3 year deal originally. Andruw Jones, not coincidentally, will be 31 at the beginning of the 2008 season, and thus, is very unlikely to sign a 1 year deal, IMO. A couple of notes... The Cubs were willing to give Furcal 5 years. Furcal will reach FA again next year at age 31, at which point you have him getting a 5-6 year contract. Unless you can provide data which indicates that 32 year olds receive deals in excess of a year shorter (and for less money) than their 31 year old counterparts, you're just shaping the argument to meet your preconceived conclusion.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Nov 13, 2007 -> 04:09 PM) The only way Jones would sign a one year contract is if it were for some outrageous amount of money, I talking at least 20 million dollars. Other than that he will get at least 5 years. It is the way that Borass operates. Check out the history of his clients. Furcal took a 3-year deal to hit the market again quickly. Drew took a 5-year deal with an opt out to hit the market again quickly. more comparable... Kevin Millwood, looking for a per annum contract in the low teens when in Philly, had a poor season. Signed with Cleveland for a year at a discounted rate. Then got his 5/$60M the next season from the Rangers.

Looking over the minor leauge FA list last night, I found a couple more interesting names after Bourgouis. Warner Madrigal, a converted OFer. Only 51 innings pitched professionally. Good strikeout rate (11/9IP) in low-A ball as a 23 year old. No clue what his stuff is like, but he's a minor league reliever worth picking up.

QUOTE(Markbilliards @ Nov 13, 2007 -> 01:15 AM) Its not like he's a pitcher, but he did have surgery in August, on his elbow. http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/sb20070814h1.html Jose Guillen had similar surgery last year, which held his cost down (though it still exceeded what I would have paid). It didn't slow him down this year.

vs. RHP Granderson Polanco Maggs Guillen Sheff Jones Renteria Pudge Inge vs. LHP Renteria Polanco Maggs Guillen Sheff Pudge Inge Thames (not Monroe) Granderson

QUOTE(Soxbadger @ Nov 12, 2007 -> 03:20 PM) If Michigan wins, OSU could still get into the BCS. Which would mean: Rose: UM BCS at Large: OSU Cap 1: Illinois Most dont see OSU not being in the BCS, regardless of a loss just because they bring in huge revenue. They dropped to 7th with one loss, They'll drop to outside the top 12 with 2 losses.

QUOTE(Buehrle>Wood @ Nov 12, 2007 -> 08:06 AM) With a win, Illinois ties for 2nd in the Big Ten. They're going to the Outback/CO. With the exception of the Rose bowl. you're position in the Big ten matters not as much as how much of a TV and, more importantly, ticket draw you can be. A bowl can pick any bowl eligible team within one win of the top remaining team. For instance: If Michigan wins on Saturday, ILL will fall quickly... No matter what they do against NW. A 9-win Mich gets the rose bowl. a 10 win OSU will be chosen for the Cap One bowl. Leaving the other 3 8-3 teams (potentially 9-3 teams) to fight it out for the lone remaining Jan 1 bowl. Rose: Mich Cap One: OSU Outback: PSU/Wisky/ILL Alamo: PSU/Wisky/ILL Champs: ILL It comes down to $$$. PSU and Wisconsin can guarantee fannies in the seats and eyeballs on the tube. ILL can't, or can't to the same degree that PSU and Wisconsin can. Michigan "doesn't travel as well" after a loss to OSU, or at least that was the reasoning a couple of years ago when Iowa got an outback bowl bid over Mich, so an OSU win could really help the ILL. But I would still think that an 8 win Mich (with a hopefully healthy Henne and Hart) would be more attractive to Bowl Organizers than ILL.

I heard somebody say they thought Illinois was gonna go to the Cap One bowl, and if not the Outback... I laughed a little and took a look at it... Rose: Michigan/OSU Winner Cap One OSU(if loses), Wiscy/PSU (with wins) (Mich would be 8-4 w/ a loss so they might fall behind a 9 win WISC or PSU) Outback Michigan (with loss) Wisky/PSU/ILL (with wins) Alamo: Will pick the lone remaining non-ILL team from the Wisky,PSU,Mich clan. Champs: Illinois -- Champs gets a good team, maybe a better team than Mich/PSU/Wisky, but a team without the drawing power of those 3. Insight: Purdue/Iowa -- Iowa has the bigger draw/traveling road show, but they've looked terrible in pretty much every game. $$$ wins out, Iowa will get the bid (as long as they beat WMU, which isn't a given) Motor City: Purdue (as long as MSU doesn't win) an MSU win and they'll be the biggest possible draw here. Indy's only route in is a win over Purdue, plus an Iowa and MSU loss Northwestern's only route in is a win over ILL, plus and Iowa, MSU, and INDY loss. Illinois needs MSU to beat PSU (plus a win over NW, obviously) to possibly get into the Outback or assure themselves of the Alamo. An MSU win also puts one of Purdue/Iowa on the outside looking in. In that scenario, I think it might be Iowa as the team left out, because there's no way that every bowl passes on an 8 win Purdue. Iowa would, no doubt, be snatched up in a second as an at-large by some crappy bowl.

QUOTE(Heads22 @ Nov 12, 2007 -> 12:24 AM) So, there's a rumor out that Iowa State may have found a lead donor for it's improvements, and there's talk in the amount of $200 million. Just a rumor, but it's kind of a strange one to start. I'd just love for it to be true. They really are looking to sink the program over there. Lead (Pb) donor?

Pavano has exactly one season with over 100 innings of 100+ ERA+ on his resume... He wasn't any good to begin with. He got $40M for his 1 above average season. Pass.

Think about this... They had 2 weeks to come up with this offensive game plan.

Heckuva game in Pittsburgh

QUOTE(Rowand44 @ Nov 10, 2007 -> 06:32 PM) The BCS is just f'd this year. Only if Kansas squeaks by with a couple of fluky wins.... I think Oregon and LSU have consistently been the two best teams this year. If they take care of business, they'll be there. Or at least one of them will be there against a finally tested Kansas club. The worst scenario right now if for kansas to go undefeated in wholly unimpressive fashion. If they stomp OKySt and beat Mizzou, then take care of OU/TEX in the B12 championship, they deserve to be there.

QUOTE(Kalapse @ Nov 9, 2007 -> 05:01 PM) So what does that say about Scot Shields then? He's blown 18 saves the last 3 seasons or Linebrink who's blown 33 saves since joining the Padres or Joel Zumaya who's blown 9 over the past 2 seasons in 50 less innings than Bell? 13 blown saves over a 3 1/2 year span is actually a pretty low number. According to BB-ref Shields is 137/158 or 86.7% Linebrink is 125/152 or 82.2% (discrepency from Kalapses numbers) Zumaya is 41/50 or 82%

QUOTE(BearSox @ Nov 9, 2007 -> 04:50 PM) Well then he can't hold a lead late in a game. Whats the difference. The only difference is that these come in the 7th and 8th instead of the 9th. Would you say that Bobby Jenks couldn't hold a lead late in the game? He has essentially the same success rate at holding a lead of three or less.