metirish

It was I that asked , blame the Irish if you must. Actually I never expected this kind of response , seriously , no really I didn't.

] it is about getting your hands dirty and doing the work. If I'm paying him $15 million a year I don't want him doing the work , is he like laying blocks , that could be dangerous , he could break a finger , mixing cement? , he could hurt his shoulder.

There was a time in my twenties that I wanted to get a tattoo , never did and am sure glad I didn't.

When did the Mets become such a hateful team for people? I know the 80's and the pond scum but these last few years it seems more and more people hate them.

Wren says it's over. ] "We had our last discussion with San Diego yesterday [Thursday] and let them know that if the final names we were discussing wouldn't get it done, we would move on to other opportunities, other possibilities," Wren said Friday, according to FoxSports.com.

] Source: Mets won't bid for Sabathia BY DAVID LENNON | david.lennon@newsday.com 10:00 PM EST, November 14, 2008 The Mets were content to watch Friday from their Citi Field offices as the Yankees made good on their promise of a shock-and-awe first offer to free agent CC Sabathia. With a starting point of six years and roughly $140 million, the Steinbrenners need not worry about any competition from Flushing on this one. A person familiar with the situation said Friday that the Mets will not be involved in the bidding war for Sabathia, whose preliminary offer already has broken the record set last February by Johan Santana's six-year, $137.5-million contract. It's not that the Mets don't like Sabathia. Who wouldn't? And his stated preference to pitch in the National League would seem to favor them. But the Mets do not have an operating budget of infinity for this offseason, and having one pitcher at the very top of the pay scale is enough for now. Plus, they have their spending cash targeted for other needs, specifically a closer.

Reports have the yankees making a 6 year $140 million offer to CC. Same report has them extending offers to Burnett and Lowe too over the weekend.

WOW , what a great picture , guy in the yellow shirt at second stands out and I count three suits that might be security , one to the right of yellow shirt and one to the left of Buddy and one n front of him.

All 171 FA here http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/features/freeagents?season=2008

Reliable guys to get the ball to that closer are very important .

="Valadius":2jrwc3or]If nothing else, this will FINALLY allow for a sewer system.[/quote:2jrwc3or] For shitty field? John Cougar Lunchbucket Nov 14 2008 12:46 PM It's not like you can go build on unimproved land then demand sewer pipes as if its your right. You notice these bizzes aren;t clamoring for that since they know that would mean the end of them anyway. Edgy DC Nov 14 2008 12:51 PM I thought you could.

Joe Posnanski on a new way to rate relievers. Scroll down to bold ] A new way of looking at relievers One of the great things about being a voter on John Dewan's Fielding Bible panel is I get my Bill James Handbook before it is sold into stores. I love getting stuff early. And, more, I love my Bill James Handbook. Every year they add some great new statistic like one that breaks down how managers do their jobs: Least effective intentional walkers in 2008 (bomb reflects multiple runs scoring after the walk): 1. Ron Washington (Texas), 20 out of 44 bombed (45.4%) 2. Eric Wedge (Cleveland), 11 out of 28 bombed (39.2%) 3. Cito Gaston (Toronto), 6 out of 16 bombed (37.5%) 4. Bud Black (San Diego), 17 out of 61 bombed (27.9%) 5. Joe Maddon (Tampa Bay), 8 out of 29 bombed (27.6%) 6. Dave Trembley (Baltimore), 12 out of 44 bombed (27.2%) 7. Bobby Cox (Atlanta), 20 out of 80 bombed (25%) The best intentional walker? St. Louis' Tony La Russa, of course. Only one out of 21 bombed. The book will break down other things, like the best base runners: The 2008 best baserunners, excluding stolen bases:* This list would measure going the number of extra bases a runner gets going from first to third on a single (average runner makes it 27% of the time) second to home on a single (average runner makes it about 59% of the time), first to home on a double (average runner makes it 43% of the time) and also takes into account the extra bases picked up on wild pitches, passed balls, balks, sac flies: 1. Matt Holliday, +28 (Holliday was 15 for 26 going first to third which is amazingly good, 17 for 24 going second to home, 5 for 6 scoring on a double from first, and he took 23 bases, which is a lot. True, you could argue that Holliday is helped by the immense size of Coors Field, but really the guy's an excellent baserunner). 2. Curtis Granderson, +27 3. Nate McLouth +27 (The Gold Glove was a farce, but he's a really good ballplayer) 4. Kelly Johnson +26 5. Shin-Soo-Choo, +26 Every year, like I say, they add all sorts of fun new statistical additions to the the handbook. This year, they added a section called "21st Century Bullpen" which breaks down relievers and makes the very logical case that in today's baseball, bullpen pitchers probably should be assigned positions since they do such very, very different jobs. We already have closers, and then we have a vague collection of set-up men, lefty-specialists, long-men, guys who you bring in to get double play grounders, bridges and so on. And we try to judge them all, more or less, on the same outdated statistics like ERA and won-loss record, and this is absurd. Anyway, Bill has some real ideas about fixing that, and you HAVE to buy the book and read all about it. For today, I'm more concerned with something else Bill and the guys did: They took all the closers and broke up their their save opportunities into three simple categories: 1. Easy Save. This is a save when the first batter faced is not the tying or go-ahead run. 2. Tough save: This is a save when the tying or go ahead run is already on base when you take over. 3. Regular save: Everything else. (To see a sample from this season, click here.) Simple enough. Here's a little info on each type of save. 1. Easy save: This represents more than half -- 58% to be exact -- of all save opportunities. And last year all relievers were successful on 87% of their easy save opportunities. Remember, that's ALL relievers -- not just specified closers. People who you would describe as closers (pitchers who had more than 10 save opportunities last year) were actually successful about 92% of the time -- or to put it in perspective, more often than almost any NBA player make free throws or field goal kickers make 30-yard field goals. A real closer should not blow easy saves. 2. Tough save: Almost never happens anymore -- except with Mariano Rivera who was five-for-five in tough save opportunities last year.Most managers bring the closer in to start a clean ninth inning, so tough saves only happen about 5% of the time. And relievers finish them off about 22% of the time. Again, full-time closers do considerably better than that -- they close out about 55% of tough saves. 3. Regular save. Most people would call a regular save a "tough" save because, in most cases it would mean starting the ninth inning with just a one-run lead. Regular saves make up 37% of all save opportunities, and all relievers close them out 57% of the time. Real closers finish them off 72.5% of the time -- as they should since, for the most part, real closers get paid more money. OK, so this is what we're working with. So, naturally, I had to come up with an utterly meaningless formula to determine who is the best closer because, you know, that's what I do. Using the percentages Bill offered, I figured out how many more (or fewer) saves a closer has than a replacement closer. And then, using my utterly inept math skills, I came up with a CLOSER+ number that attempts to tell you how much better a closer is than average. The average, of course, is 100. Here goes nothing: these were the best closers in 2008 (20 or more save opportunities): 1. Mariano Rivera, Yankees Expected saves: 27 Actual saves: 39 CLOSER+: 145 I'm was thinking about doing a bigger piece on Rivera I'm fascinated by the guy's ability to get people out for a decade and more with, essentially, one pitch. Plus, I have this theory that I'm working on that Rivera has been even more valuable than his reputation, but for a very odd reason. My thinking is this: Because Rivera has been SO good, there have been very, very, very, very few back pages of the New York Post or New York Daily News that read like this: Down The River-a: Yankees Blow Game In Ninth or BOMBERS BOMBED: Mariano falters late and Pinstripers Lose Again See, we all know that nothing sucks the life out of a fan base more than the local heroes blowing a late lead. I don't know if it has a measurable effect on the team -- I haven't studied it -- but it definitely seems to have an effect on the general atmosphere, the energy level, the manager's enthusiasm, the talk radio tenor and so on. These things are multiplied in New York. And basically, in the case of Mariano, one guy has more or less eliminated that negativity from the equation. I don't know ... just something I've been thinking about. 2. Brad Lidge, Phillies Expected saves: 31 Actual saves: 41 CLOSER+: 132 I got the nicest call from Brad Lidge's grandmother the other day. In this crazy business, you get all sorts of phone calls, from people who hate your guts, to people who love you, to people want something you don't have (like free tickets or time with Tiger Woods). But then you get a nice call from Brad Lidge's grandmother, and it's just, you know, nice. 3. Jonathan Papelbon, Red Sox Expected saves: 31 Actual saves: 41 CLOSER+: 129 The formula goes goes into fractions which is why Papelbon's expected and actual saves are the same as Lidge's but his CLOSER+ is a touch lower. At least I think that's the reason. Papelbon was 4 for 4 in tough saves, which is much better than Lidge (who was not given a tough save opportunity all year). But he was just 15 for 20 on regular saves (while Lidge, of course, did not blow a save opportunity all year long). 4. Joakim Soria, Royals Expected saves: 32 Actual saves: 42 CLOSER+: 128 I go back and forth, back and forth, back and forth on whether or not the Royals should try to make Soria a starter. I talk with one person who says they should and that makes sense to me for all the reasons you might expect: -- A great starter is much more valuable than a great closer. -- Soria came up as a starter and has multiple pitches and such an easy deliver that he seems a natural. -- Think about a rotation of Soria, Zack Greinke and Gil Meche -- that's a pretty exciting thing. That, potentially anyway, could be up there with any team in baseball. Throw in a seemingly rejuvenated (or maybe just "juvenated") Kyle Davies, and our beloved Banny (Brian Bannister), and the No. 1 pick of the 2006 draft (Luke Hochevar), I mean, yeah, that would be exciting. -- If it doesn't work for whatever reason, put him back. -- I get the sense -- though he's a tough guy to read -- that Soria would like to be a starter. So, I'm on that bandwagon. Then I talk to someone else who says there's no way the Royals should make him a starter, and I find myself nodding -- that makes too for all the reasons you might expect: -- Soria is already a dominant closer and there's no telling how he would be as a starter. You don't fool with one of the few things you have done right in a decade. -- There are very, very, very, very few examples of a guy who begins his career as dominant closer being made into a dominant starter. In fact, when I went back to try and find one, I pretty much rolled snake eyes. -- If he fails as a starter, you may ruin him as a closer too. You may not, but there's always a risk. Part of Soria's brilliance seems to be that he feels invincible. You would hate to mess with that. -- There's a great feeling in the clubhouse with Soria closing things out -- everyone knows that if they get to the late innings with a lead they will almost certainly win. You would hate to mess with that either. -- Who would close? Hochevar? Ram Ram (Ramon Ramirez)? Jeff Montgomery? Both of these lines of thinking make some sense to me. So, in the end, where do I come down? I would say that at this moment, if I'm playing with someone else's money, yeah, I would at least try to make Soria a starter. I think it would have an excellent chance of working, and I think if it didn't work for some reason I think he would be able to regain his dominance in the pen. Plus ... I'm serious, how can you not get excited about a Soria-Greinke-Meche top three? Of course, I could be convinced otherwise. 5. C.J. Wilson, Texas Expected saves: 19 Actual saves: 24 CLOSER+: 126 6. Brian Wilson, San Francisco Expected Saves: 33 Actual saves: 41 CLOSER+: 125 Lyin' in bed just like Brian Wilson did Well I am ... Lyin' in bed just like Brian Wilson did So I'm a-lying here, just staring at the ceiling tiles and I'm thinking about, oh, what to think about Just listening and relistening to Smiley Smile And I'm wondering if this some kind of creative drought 7. Joe Nathan, Twins Expected saves: 31 Actual saves: 39 CLOSER+: 124 8. Bobby Jenks, White Sox Expected saves: 24 Actual Saves: 30 CLOSER+: 122 9. K-Rod, Angels Expected saves: 52 Actual saves: 62 CLOSER+: 119 He had one tough save all year -- which he converted -- and he was slightly better than the average closer on the easy and regular saves. I'm not sure how other relievers would have handled 69 save opportunities from a mental standpoint. And it's significant that he pitched on consecutive days 29 times, more than any other closer. But from a pure pitching quality standpoint, I think there are about probably 10 to 15 other pitchers who, given the same opportunities as K-Rod, would have smashed the save record last year. 10. Brian Fuentes Expected saves: 25 Actual saves: 30 CLOSER+: 119 And a quick list of worst closers, 20 or more opportunities: Worst: J.J. Putz, Seattle Expected saves: 16 Actual saves: 15 CLOSER+: 94 The CLOSER+ number is a bit misleading because a 100 closer is actually pretty lousy. The number 100 comes from the average of ALL relievers, not just closers. An average "closer" is actually closer to 115. If that makes any sense at all. Which I'm sure it doesn't. Other struggling closers in 2008: Billy Wagner (100 CLOSER+), Ryan Franklin (100 CLOSER+) and Jonathan Broxton (103 CLOSER+). Joe Posnanski

I wanted to do that , how did you do it?

Player Age Type Old Team - New Team $/Yr Yrs O Perez - 27 - A NY Mets Dodgers 14M - 5 M Teixeira - 28 - A LA Angels - Mariners 21 - 7 CC Sabathia - 28 - A Brewers - Yankees 26 - 7 Adam Dunn - 29 - A Arizona - Dodgers 15 - 4 Brad Penny - 30 - A Dodgers - Giants - 14 -- 4 Juan Cruz - 30 - A Arizona - Arizona 3 - 3 O Hudson - 30 - A Arizona - Yankees 8 - 4 Ben Sheets - 30 - A Brewers - Astros 12 - 3 Luis Ayala - 30 - B NY Mets - NY Mets 3.5 - 1 Bradley - 30 - B Texas - Texas 9 - 3 R Furcal - 31 - Dodgers - Giants 10 - 3 Kerry Wood - 31 - A Cubs - Padres - 6 - 2 R Dempster - 31 - A Cubs - Toronto 12 - 4 A.J. Burnett - 31 - A Toronto - Seattle - 15 -- 4 F Garcia - 32 - Detroit - Nationals 3 - 2 C Pavano - 32 - Yankees - Marlins - 4 - 1 P Burrell - 32 - Phillies - Rockies 16 - 3 B Fuentes - 33- A - Rockies - NY Mets - 16 - 4 O Cabrera - 34- A White Sox - Braves 6 - 2 B Abreu - 34 - A Yankees - Tampa - 10 - 3 N Garciaparra- 35 - Dodgers - Baltimore 8 - 1 B Howry - 35 -A Cubs - Cubs 6 - 2 D Lowe - 35 - A Dodgers - Tigers 15 - 4 C Blake - 35- B Dodgers - Dodgers 8 - 2 M Hampton - 36 - Atlanta - Nationals 6 - 1 J Varitek - 36 -A Boston - Boston 10 - 1 M Ramirez - 36 - A Dodgers - Texas - 20 - 4 A Pettitte - 36 - A - Yankees - retire 0 - 0 R Ibanez - 36 - A Seattle - Phillies 10 - 2 P Lo Duca - 36 - A Florida - Astros 3.5 - 1 I Rodriguez - 36- B Yankees - Florida 4 - 1 P Martinez - 37 - Mets - Mets 5 - 1 J Giambi - 37 - Yankees - Oakland 8- 1 D Oliver - 38 - A Angels - Padres 4 - 1 K Griffey Jr - 38 -B - W Sox - retire 0 - 0 Mussina - 39- A Yankees - retire 0 - 0 R Springer - 40 -A St Louis - retire 0 - 0 T Hoffman - 41 - A Padres - Tigers 11- 1 M Alou - 42- B Mets - retire 0 - 0

I read that and I thought it was funny , I was thinking that when the guy signed the contract that putting his name to that article above was part of the deal.

I'll believe all this when I see it , like The Atlantic Yards project in Brooklyn.

Just saw this , looking to 2009 in this Hot stove preview. The last paragraph is what caught my eye. Caleb Peiffer, Baseball Prospectus ] New York Mets What Do They Have? Like the Phillies, they have a phenomenal core, consisting of the best left side of the infield in baseball (third baseman David Wright and shortstop Jose Reyes), as well as the best center fielder in the NL (Carlos Beltran), all of whom are signed through at least 2011. At first base, Carlos Delgado showed he can still be a powerful force with a .308/.392/.626 line in 372 plate appearances from June 27 onward, making the decision to pick up his $12 million option an easy one for GM Omar Minaya. In the rotation Johan Santana retains the title of best pitcher in baseball, coming off of career highs in both innings and ERA, and Mike Pelfrey has emerged as a young workhorse to complement the ace after harnessing his nasty sinker. What Do They Need? New York lost a major league-high seven games when leading at the start of the ninth in 2008, and the bullpen was a major contributor to the team's second straight September collapse, going 3-5 with a 6.65 ERA in the final 16 games. The Mets made more pitching changes than any other team in the majors (719) because almost all of their relievers were helpless against one side of the plate or the other (or just plain helpless). They need a couple of arms who can retire both lefties and righties, especially with closer Billy Wagner out for 2009 after Tommy John surgery. Beyond the bullpen New York could go several different ways in left field. The Mets would also love to unload Luis Castillo's albatross contract, but that's a pipe dream unless Minaya can swap it for some other bad deal. Then there are questions about the rotation -- if Oliver Perez and Pedro Martinez depart, New York will need at least one and possibly two starters, depending on whether they see Jonathon Niese as ready for primetime. What Are They Likely To Do? They will probably let Martinez and Perez walk, while bringing in another Scott Boras client, Derek Lowe. They'll sign a lower-profile starter to compete for the fifth spot (perhaps Bartolo Colon), package Aaron Heilman to Colorado for relief help, and sign Brian Fuentes to close, while bringing in several other lower-profile arms to compete for bullpen jobs. Expect them to stick with Ryan Church in right, a Dan Murphy/Fernando Tatis platoon in left, and Castillo at second base, while bringing in a known quantity to back up at the keystone, such as Felipe Lopez, Alex Cora, Jerry Hairston Jr. or David Eckstein. What Should They Do? It might be wise to re-sign Perez, who will come cheaper than Lowe or Ryan Dempster. Bringing in another starter who won't cost the team draft picks -- like Colon, Odalis Perez, Freddy Garcia or Randy Wolf -- would also have the benefit of giving Niese more time at Triple-A. Biting the bullet and selling low on Heilman for a reliever or fifth starter couldn't hurt, as he has wanted out of New York for several years and badly needs a change of scenery. They could offer Type B free agent Luis Ayala arbitration so that if he decides to depart they'll receive a draft pick in return. Inking Fuentes to a three-year deal if he'll come will bolster the pen, as would pursuing a trade for J.J. Putz or Huston Street. Using some creativity to fill out the bullpen could shift their focus to a number of intriguing minor league free agents, such as 24-year-old lefty R.J. Swindle (1.53 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 67 K in 53 innings between Double- and Triple-A last year), Kiko Calero (coming back from a rotator cuff injury), Fernando Cabrera and former Met Scott Strickland. New York should also try to keep its 40-man roster below capacity in order to add other potentially promising arms in the Rule 5 draft.

What about Bob , any good? I think Maz probably took too many smoke breaks , I swear I saw him one night in the street smoking where the yobs gather to wave at the cameras .

I cling to the sliver of hope that CC will be swayed by his desire to hit , yes I am naive.

They will still be in for Tex, right? No idea about the minor leaguer but was there any market for Swisher?

Angels owner on K-Rod ] "I think as a whole, we're probably turning the page on this one," Moreno said on "The Sports Lodge," which is broadcast on KLAA in Southern California. "I think that we as an organization made this decision. And I'm not one of these 'never, never' people. I'm saying, I think as a whole, it's important to turn the page and move forward, and get prepared to do some of the other things we want to do." In the same David Lennon article he says the Mets have talked to the White Sox about Jenks but will try the FA route first, Lennon says that the White Sox are looking to trade someone form a group of Jermaine Dye, Paul Konerko and Jim Thome, with Jenks and Nick Swisher available at a higher price.

For a second I thought Minaya had traded for Carlos Lee.

Sorry but I have never liked any of the Star Wars movies.

I'll be looking out for you on "Ice road Truckers" , Hugh is looking for drivers.

] Early signs indicate that the Mets� relief corps could resemble last year�s more than any sadist would recommend. That's you? Oh yeah and the last paragraph too. FWIW I don't see the same group coming back in tact.