Time for a new post post

I don’t really have anything to say. December is always a rough time if the Braves aren’t active.

Discussion question: If Jeff Francoeur were a TV show, what TV show would he be? I say “Ally McBeal.”

312 thoughts on “Time for a new post post”

  3. I’ll agree that college basketball (and football for that matter) can be gray, especially with handlers, agents and shoe companies reaching out to eighth graders.

    I just don’t understand all the vitriol towards Calipari when several media darling coaches do the exact same thing. Eric Bledsoe was offered scholarships to several top tier programs, and he was the center of the latest issue where Calipari was coach. Corey Maggette wasn’t exactly clean in college; did Duke ever forfeit wins or did Coach K face scrutiny? The Pump Brothers are some of the sleaziest handlers in AAU basketball, yet they have a great relationship with Roy Williams and most of their top recruits land at UNC. Josh Selby is currently sitting out games at KU under Bill Self. Point being – Calipari is the on the front page of ESPN.com every three months for some allegation or rumor. I just wish certain writers and newspapers (Pat Forde, NY Times) were more even in their reporting.

  4. Also, regarding the last thread’s discussion, I love Pretty Hate Machine. I just bought 69 Love Songs, so I’m trying to catch up on that one. But as triple albums go, I’ve always been partial to Prince’s Emancipation. Sure it’s self-indulgent, but formally it’s a stunner — each of three CDs has exactly 12 tracks and clocks in at exactly 60:00, while being all across the map musically, from rock and hard funk to soul, dance jams to slow jams, along with a few of his ill-fated ’90s rap exercises. Not all the songs are killer, but a hell of a lot of them are.

    You know, I think I dreamed last night that we traded for Cameron Maybin. We didn’t, did we?

  5. 3—None of those coaches have left any schools in the lurch with the NCAA. Calipari has done it twice. I’ll agree that he’s far from the only shady character out there, but it’s not like he hasn’t earned the reputation he has.

  6. How about Heroes?

    The show had such hype leading up to it. It started off rather well.

    Then when it started to go bad people stuck with it because of hope that it would turn around.

    Then it just sort of shot itself in the foot and went away.

  8. I am thinking it should be a show with some promise, unexpectedly forced into the lineup, that played o.k. for a while, then got bad pretty quickly.

    But, my poor brain isn’t comingup with anything that fits.

  10. “The Walking Dead.”

    EDIT: “Walking,” as in, has legs. Obviously not as in, taking 4 pitches.

  12. Ken Berry in “F Troop”

    The end of the Civil War was near
    When quite accidentally,
    A hero who sneezed, abruptly seized
    Retreat and reversed it to victory!

    His Medal of Honor pleased and thrilled
    His proud little family group;
    While pinning it on, some blood was spilled
    And so it was planned he’d command… F TROOP!

    Where Indian fights are colorful sights
    And nobody takes a lickin’,
    Where paleface and redskin
    Both turn chicken!

    When drilling and fighting get them down
    They know their morale can droop,
    As long as they all relax in town
    Before they resume with a bang and a boom… F TROOP!

  14. I say Francoeur is “Two and a Half Men”.

    “If Parental Guideline Ratings are so important, then why don’t they put it up on the screen at the beginning of the episode?”

  15. Marc at 242 in the previous thread.

    The statements made by Cam Newton to a person who is testifying about those statements not only is not double hearsay, it isn’t hearsay at all. the admission of a party against his interest is admissible in court.

    Now, the “that guy might be just as sleazy” defense may be relevant, but there is “SOME EVIDENCE” of Newton’s involvement in the pay for play.

    And the next thing I will say on that is that IF it was actually paid and if it was as much as $200,000, it will be out within 6 to 18 months. Some girlfriend he ditches, the church secretary that gets fired, the worker at the church’s creditor where they suddenly got a payment. Somebody will know about that kind of money.

  16. Which show started out with great promise, had a great first few episodes and then became just awful, though some people didn’t realize it right away?

    I vote for “Heroes.”

  17. Apparently USC’s AD was on Mike and Mike this morning. He went on to say that “He was told by the NCAA that the child is a direct extension of the parents, if the parents are involved in any wrongdoing, the child will suffer the consequences”. (IE: Reggie Bush).”

    I did not see the show, but if this was told to him I’m sure they are getting their appeal lined up and ready to go. Seems like this ruling right now just made this situation 100 times worse.

  18. @15 I would say that IF anybody got paid anything it would have been out by now. It was reported nearly a year ago, and there are no shortage of partisans trying to find the smoking gun. The University has been exceptionally confident in Newton’s eligibility all year. I think they would have pulled him a while back if there was any Auburn money connection.

  19. @ 17, are you sure other schools have an appeal to a ruling regarding an athlete at another college?

    @16, Twin Peaks. What an incredible start that led to some really dumb things down the road.

  21. Calipari is willing to take a chance on troubled high school kids. For every Camby, he’s been rewarded with a Chris Douglas-Roberts. Nothing wrong with that.

    And the NCAA has an obvious vendetta against Calipari – they have certain programs (Alabama) and certain coaches (Calipari) they target. Other programs (Duke) are immune.

  24. @21,

    CDR! ha ha ha

    I really have never heard of Duke breaking the rules, outside of the Meggetti thing. I think Coach K runs a clean program, for the most part.

    He recuits to his system, Big slow white guys that can shoot, play D and read. That doesn’t translate to the NBA, so his players don’t make it there.

    I mean, if you’re a big slow white guy and can shoot, play D and read; where else are you going to college?

  25. #19 – No Im not sure, just a guess

    I guess they probably cant since their was physical proof that Bush received/took extra benefits

  29. @21

    That was genius. If you’re not currently employed as a PR spin doctor, I recommend you change careers.

    As far as the Qatar World Cup choice goes-

    I’m done being surprised when the IOC or FIFA or any other organization of the like does something kooky. If your city/country is in contention for the Olympics/World Cup and you’re the favorite, you’re gonna be disappointed. The only thing these groups like less than a country who won’t bribe them (which we won’t after the Salt Lake City fiasco, at least not for awhile) is being told what they’re going to do.

  31. Mac, have you ever published a Keltner list for any of the big three — Maddux, Glavine or Smoltz? I think all three are widely considered shoo-ins, but I’d be interested to see how they do/compare using the Keltner metric. Just an idea …

  33. @30

    I went to look and most of them were making fun of Duke players for picking thier noses or something. The only real issue that Coach K might have been involved in was Maggette.

    Coach K gets AMEX and coaching the USA theam deals because he is a great coach. I am no Duke fan, but I have to give it to them and Coach K.

  34. I think the Keltner test would unfairly punish Glavine and Smoltz for the existence of Greg Maddux, and especially for being his teammates.

    At least they each had years where they out pitched him.

    Also, if Javy is punished by the run away nature of so many division wins, so too would be the big three.

    Although that doesn’t mean much. They’re still HOF’ers

  37. KC Bomber as TV remake or any Roller Derby show.
    Very Old Testament to judge sons by sins of fathers. Perhaps not constitutional. NCAAs likely does not want to risk losing a weak case.

  39. USC’s AD may wonder (along with many others) why his program has seasons vacated because of playing one ineligible player while his crosstown rival’s ill-gotten basketball championships remain revered and their coach in line for sainthood. (Google: Sam Gilbert).

    AND (big and) Reggie Bush’s folks were dealing with an agent who had no concern about USC as opposed to Gilbert who was an avowed UCLA booster. In my mind, that’s a huge difference. How the hell are coaches supposed to keep agents away from their stars? Does Richt have any culpability re: AJ’s jersey sale? I certainly don’t think so.

    I’m not interested in running down anyone else’s program, I would just like to see some consistency from the NCAA. (And, yes, Maggette is an exact parallel to Camby. Yet all we hear about that one is crickets.)

  47. A) I’m going to miss Matty. I like guys who work their ass off to do the job the best they can.

    B) Buddy Carlyle got a minor league deal out of the Yanks!

  48. “Charlie’s Angel’s”
    After the title sequence ran, you could change the channel.
    “If acting cred meant anything they’d put it on the scoreboard. It’s all about the hair, you know.”
    We’re looking at McCann for Bosley.

  50. Congratulations to Qatar–which will be a big (and probably positive) thing here in the Gulf. That said, FIFA may well have to explain its rationale in the summer of 2022, when tens of thousands of people have second thoughts about coming to a place with 115 degree heat…..

    The Qataris will get this done….

  52. geez, pat the bat signed for 1 mil + incentives. i dont know what the incentives are but that’s mighty low.

  55. How do you think Fredi will handle the closer role?

    I’m not crazy about a two-man solution, but without a dominant closer, it may be best for us.

  57. 51 & 53—Surely, one of those is the coolest thing ever linked on this blog. Both are extremely bad-ass.

    And on the subject of bad-assery: w00t.

  60. hinske signed. i’m guessing that’s what posts 57 and 58 are about, but my server is blocking the link.

  61. Trade proposal

    Orioles get Kenshin Kawakami
    Braves get Mike Gonzalez

    Orioles also get the difference in money which is probably around 1 Million.

    It seems like KK would provide something of an upgrade for a desperate Orioles rotation which should be more of a priority than the bullpen, both teams have already committed the dollars. Atlanta would be filling a need with money it has already spent, freeing up whatever money is left to spend on Hinske and perhaps another solid bench player.

  63. Ithaca, id think Mike is much more valuable to them. I still think the Braves can and will move KK, but they are going to have to pay $4-5mil of his salary

  65. Cliff,

    My bad. I must have misunderstood the scenario (I haven’t been following it that closely). I thought it was somone else that told this person that they had heard something about Newton. Obviously, if Newton said it himself, it’s not hearsay. But I’m no great expert on evidence anyway.

  67. @51,

    That is cool but a little creepy.

    Maybe Francouer is a different kind of life form. His DNA simply does not allow him to walk.

    I remember most of these old TV shows when they were originally on but most of you saw them in syndication years later. Sigh!

    How about Gomer Pyle, USMC? Gomer was dumb as mud and lucked out into somehow not going to Viet Nam, yet was still considered a Marine.

  68. Resigning Hinske really helps our bench and Diaz would too.

    Ross, Hinske, Diaz, and 2 spots open.

    Let Mather/Young/Whoever compete for the backup CF job and let Diory/Lucas/another signing compete for the backup INF job

    Now sign Putz

  69. I’m really glad to hear that Hinske is going to be around for another go, it’s an added bonus that it’s been sorted out prior to the winter meetings.

  76. Braves officially non-tendered Matty D…

    “@ajcbraves: #Braves non-tendered Matt Diaz, and already speculation is #Rays (who drafted him 11 yrs ago) could be interested. #Phillies might be, too”

    Pity, I know he’s not what we really need right now, but I still liked him… I’d hate to see him with the Phils.

  77. @65

    No, you were right, Marc. If there’s a tape or something, that’s different, but the story was a source claimed that Cam Newton called a Miss. State recruiter and said “the money was too much.” There’s a lot of difference between that and direct evidence. It’s less iffy if the source was the recruiter, but it doesn’t say that one way or the other, so we can’t assume that it was.

    http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=5786315

  81. spike, that is crazy that you mentioned chad gibbs. he’s my best friend from high school. i’m in his new book “God and Football: Faith and Fanaticism in the SEC”. him and i shared a pretty big religious experience early on in life. buy it. he’s a great guy with an incredible delivery of humor. here’s amazon link…

  82. Even though it was expected, I’m still moderately concerned about the fact that Moylan is being tendered a contract after his BB/9 went from 4.32 to 5.23, and his FIP from 2.95 to 4.30. Between him and Proctor… ugh. At least there are some interesting in-house candidates in waiting.

  88. This has nothing to do with anything, but this has to be the best, most moving performance of one of the most beautiful songs ever written. IMHO.

  89. Wow, Cleveland should be more embarrassed about their team than mad at LeBron. They have really let the city down. IT is like they wanted to lose to him.

  90. Stu, thanks to you I just spent an hour listening to For Emma Forever Ago for the 100th time and feeling alternately wistful and depressed. That is one more pretty sound he makes though. It was an appropriate eulogy for the Braves career of Diaz, one of my all-time favorites.

  91. I’m going with “Heroes”; good start, obviously flawed, kinda dumb, not a good enough approach to have any sustained success, a real disaster by early in the second season and plug eventually pulled, far too long.

  94. This series of tweets by EDSBS cracked me up:

    “I thought Arizona (State)’s punter just had an nine yard punt. I was wrong: the punt went for eight yards.”

    “Arizona, not to be outdone, may have just punted for zero yards.”

    “Yes, the box score just refreshed, and that is officially a punt for zero yards. I don’t know if you could do that on purpose.

    “With 2:15 to go in the first half, Arizona and ASU have a combined 162 yards of offense and three points. #2FAST2FUTILITOUS”

  96. Sigh. One of the changes (I’ve lost track which one) made to the HOF Veterans Committee seemed designed solely to correct the blatant injustice of Santo’s absence, and they still couldn’t get him voted in. Nevertheless, I’d always sort of assumed he’d get in somehow during his lifetime, and his induction speech would be an inspirational testament to the power of perseverance. RIP.

  97. Ir Santo, like Murphy, had been a Yankee, he’d be in the HOF.

    Santo probably even has a better case than Murphy. It is sad he won’t be around to see his induction.

  98. Santo actually played on teams well-represented in the HOF despite the overall lack of team success. Ernie Banks, Billy Williams, and Fergie Jenkins are all in. There’s some sentiment that the Santo-era Cubs have been sufficiently praised, and that has hurt Santo’s case. But they just had a ridiculously top-heavy roster.

    Bill James has Santo the #6 3B of all time (if you ask now, Chipper may have passed him). Murphy is the #12 CF.

  100. To me, Santo’s overwhelmingly deserving of being in the Hall. I think his case is much better than Murphy’s. Murphy was basically in a decline phase for half of his career. Santo stayed pretty consistent until his very last season, and then he retired.

  101. I’d probably have him fourth, behind Schmidt, Brett, and Mathews, depending on Mathews’ defensive rep, about which I have no idea. But if he was thought of as average or slightly better, that would tip the scales for me.

  102. Does anyone know of a resource that tracks (1.4xO)PS throughout the years for individual players. Probably doesn’t exist, but Chipper would surely benefit.

    OPS+ >= 120, 800 G min, 50% @ 3B:

    Schmidt 147
    Mathews 143
    Chipper 142
    Rosen 136
    D. Wright 135
    Brett 135
    Baker 135
    Boggs 130
    Horner(!) 127
    Hart 125
    Santo 125
    Kurowski 125
    Rolen 124
    Elliott 124
    Madlock 123
    Cey 121
    Zimmerman 121

  103. It’s a damn shame that Santo didn’t get into the Hall (although his death may get him in now) but Omar Vizquel or someone like that will probably make it. What is wrong with these idiots that vote for the Hall? What difference does it make if the Cubs have other players in the Hall?

  106. I think there’s a feeling that a team with four Hall of Famers (five, counting the manager) should have at least won the division once. Of course, Banks wasn’t really a good player anymore, and the rest of the team was pretty shoddy, but that’s the rationale.

  108. The article begins with “The Pirates surprisingly cut Lastings Milledge loose”
    Is it ever a surprise when this clown is cut loose?

  109. Yeah, maybe. I have to admit it would make some sense — RHB, can play all three OF positions. He seems to be less of an angry young man these days, and he has a (tiny) bit of upside left. He doesn’t have any particular plus skill to hang his hat on, which I prefer in a bench player, but what the heck. I’d be on board.

  110. Re: LM
    If the Bucs let Milledge go like that, obviously, that might be a bit of a warning to other clubs.

    Re: Al Rosen
    The stories about Al Rosen in the Steinbrenner bio were pretty revealing. Rosen was George’s favorite Indian player when he was young, so Steinbrenner gave him a variety of gigs with the Yankees.

    Rosen was a GM, but eventually took other ceremonial positions because Steinbrenner told him that he’d always have a job with the Yankees.

    Eventually, Rosen couldn’t stand to be around the Madness of King George anymore & bailed. One of the many who valued his sanity over The Boss’ money.

    Re: Ron Santo
    Yeah, we should see some HoF re-evaluation of Santo now. When I was a kid, I spent some summers in the Bucktown area of Chicago (not too far from Wrigleyville). My grandma was a crazy Cubs fan, so we watched a lotta afternoon baseball. Plenty of fond memories of #10. From what I remember, he was easily the most-popular Cub at the time.

  113. Ububba, it’s true that it should be a warning if the Pirates cut you loose. But on the other hand, there’s a reason they’re a terrible. They have shown no ability to extract maximum value from their players.

    Milledge has now played his way out of three different cities, so I’m happy to treat him as a stayaway. But I’d also trust the Braves to do a better job with a guy like him than the Mets, Nationals, or Pirates, three of the most dysfunctional organizations of the past decade.

  114. Anybody think we missed the boat on Adam Dunn? If Freeman isn’t the answer …
    —————

    Why do I get visions of Melky when I think of Milledge? I know it’s not the same set of weaknesses, but I get the feeling I’d experience the same level of frustration.
    —————

    If Chipper goes down and we have to move Prado to 3B, we’re gonna rue the day we let Diaz go. Rue it, I tell you!

    Did we ever decide which beverage goes best with rueing?

  115. I’ve just been introduced to folk singer Richard Shindell.

    If you like folk music and interesting lyrics and a wiiiide variety of song subjects (Civil War, Mary Magdelene, drinkin’, etc.), he might be worth a listen.

  116. @112
    Haha, I was just watching a countdown on the MLB network about guys who achieved major milestones in strange uniforms (Boggs with the Rays, Gaylord Perry with the Mariners….) One of them was Tom Glavine’s 300th win. It showed the final out of the game which was a groundball to Gotay. I thought to myself “wow I totally forgot about that guy.” Then within the next hour I saw his name pop up on MLB Trade Rumors.

  117. DJ

    Roy has an ok relationship with the Pum Brothers. To say it’s “good” is wrong. Here’s what Roy said about them:

    “It doesn’t bother me at all,” North Carolina basketball coach Roy Williams said of the NCAA’s moves to better police recruiting. “[Dana and David Pump] have influence. The only time I’ve ever been around them, they’ve done very good things. There are a lot of stories about them doing other things, but I’ve never seen those things. Again though, this is a scenario where people are trying to become influential with another group of people. I’ve never been in favor of that.” (Yahoo! Sports)

    LOTS of qualifying statements. Not an endorsement at all. However, he’s a coach who doesn’t want to get blackballed by the Pumps either.

  118. Well, the Pirates have little reason to going to arb with Milledge to be their backup CF and decided he won’t hit enough for a corner spot.

    I’d consider him – he is still very young, and his performance through the minors (and majors) is pretty good when adjusted for age. He is a real CF, with some upside that would be inexpensive. I’d certainly think he’ll hit as well as Mather or some such.

  120. I don’t know about the attitude, and if bad years and haircuts are a disqualifier, there’d be a lot of guys out of the game. Sounds more like they just want him for the minimum.

    “Milledge, 25, … displayed none of the negative off-field traits that were documented in New York and Washington, but his lack of power and erratic defense convinced management he was not a corner-outfield option.

    “We spent a lot of time analyzing Lastings Milledge as compared with the potential alternatives for the expected role and determined it was worth further exploration of the alternatives,” Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said. “We remain open to continuing dialogue with Lastings.”

    http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10337/1107986-63.stm

  121. Can’t I just own some unwavering distain for him based on the douchebaggery he displayed while playing in Flushing? It’s very difficult to wash away the stink of Metsdom. Hating all things Mets is one of the best fringe benefits of being a Braves fan, especially for those of us who live in the northeast corridor. On second thought however, Mets fans were all in on this guy when he was coming up through the system, I suppose a successful stint in an Atlanta uniform would break plenty of little blue and orange hearts.

  122. Well you have a point about that. A lotta NY’ers were convinced he was going to be Andruw Jones II. I enjoyed his crash.

    /who was the other one they wouldn’t shut up about? Alex Escobar, yeah, that’s him

  123. I don’t really understand why he projected so well. I know that all shaped and sized people can succeed in baseball, and that’s part of what makes it neat, but Milledge never had the physique of a star the way hyped big bust prospects like George Lombard or Andy Marte did. For someone who never put up amazing numbers at any level and was hyped based on projection and a high ceiling, I find this a little strange.

  125. I had the displeasure of watching Milledge in person in DC. He was a backbiting sour puss and a definite problem. He hit like he was swinging a wet noodle. On defense he seemed to rely on his speed more than getting a good read or jump on the ball, which tells me his defense will only decline. No thanks.

  126. On second look’ I guess his numbers were pretty impressive over the course of his first two or three years in the professional ball. I don’t know how I overlooked that.

  128. IMO, Lastings Milledge isn’t good enough to consider bringing a potential bad actor to the team.

    FWIW, Yanks reportedly reaching out to Carl Crawford. Obviously, if they snag him, it could free up one of their outfielders. Don’t think it’ll happen, but you never know.

  129. From DOB on Twitter:

    #Braves get veteran RH reliever Scott Linebrink for minor league RH Kyle Cofield. Linebrink owed $5.5 mill in ’11, last yr of contract

  131. Linebrink is interesting, he’s coming off a bad couple of years in terms of WHIP and ERA, but his K rate and K/BB rates were good last year, it looks like he still has his stuff. A veteran middle guy is seemingly what this bullpen needs. I have confidence in McDowell when it comes to the bullpen, plus a AL to NL move rarely hurts a pitcher.

  132. Yeah, 5.5 is pretty ugly for a guy like this. I can’t imagine we’re footing that whole bill.

  133. We all know the Braves have had their eye on Linebrink for quite a while. I’d doubt there’s too much money, if any, coming back with him, hence the quality of the prospect given up. Looks like a straight salary dump by the White Sox.

  134. Linebrink has been suffering a gopher infestation the last few years. 40 HR in 230 IP 2007-10. That’s a lot for a short reliever. Getting out of Chicago should help.

  137. I’m offended on behalf of Diaz for MLBTR lumping him in with Milledge, Church, and Gwynn as “Fourth Outfielder types”… even if that’s probably what Matty is on most teams (though I’d bet there are at least half a dozen teams where he would improve their LF with a full season)

  139. WHAT THE HELL FRANK? This guy STINKS! He isn’t even a CLOSER! How many saves does this guy have? NOT MANY MORE THAN KYLE COFIELD!

    Who knows what Cofield could have been?!!1

    Worst GM in baseball…. He’s KILLING us!

    Did I make the audition? Can I post on DOB’s blog now?

  140. 138

    Underwhelming to be sure, but it’s only a one year commitment. I’d rather pay an extra million more than he’s worth for one year than get stuck going for multiple years on a middle reliever.

    Though Joel Peralta isn’t looking bad right now.

  141. A veteran reliever was the #1 goal and getting one for 1yr/$4M is a low risk venture. Check. Now let’s go find an OF with a bat for some insurance.

  143. not liking the deal due to the price tag. i just dont think that it is the best way to spend the remaining money.

  144. We’re basically paying for the assurance that he’s unlikely to be a washout, as might happen with a waiver wire guy or youngster. Not easy to stomach, given the success we’ve had with those types, but you can give Linebrink a role and call the matter settled for the time being. $4 million is a lot to pay, though.

  146. Linebrink is not a bad pitcher, but he is not a closer and I agree with those who think that the Braves could spent more wisely.

    Cofield has been a frustrating prospect to watch–if he could just get a bit more command, then he would easily profile as a starting pitcher, probably a #3 or #4. More important, perhaps, during the second half of 2010 he had begun to show serious potential as a reliever. It is hard to say whether Cofield is worth 4 million and one year of Linebrink, but this deal may not look so good in 2011 when if the former is pitching effectively out of the White Sox bullpen and the latter has been made a free agent.

    I don’t think this is an impressive deal–unless the Braves got a good bit more money than has been reported…..

  147. I have to agree csg, not sure what the Braves see in Proctor. But someone surely sees something.

  149. $4M on a 1-year deal isn’t bad at all. If he can keep the HRs down, we’ll have a quality middle reliever/set-up guy on our hands. The bulllpen could be a strength again next year.

  150. I think Linebrink will be fine. Id rather have offered Wheeler, Puts, or Uehara that $4 mil. Im not mad, but the next few months may be very boring for us now.

  151. You knew the club was going to do SOMETHING like this, and I like Linebrink, so on the whole I’m fine with it. Spending 4 mill AND sending a minor leaguer away seems counter productive. You’d think for 4 mill you could find a free agent. But I guess not for a one year commitment.

    I’m buying the solid K/BB numbers, and buying the switch to Turner Field helping his homerun numbers.

    I’ll put it this way, Linebrink would be overpaid for last years pen. But with no Wagner, and no Saito, and with Kimbrel/Venters slotted to be 8 and 9, Linebrink at 4 mill is a reasonable insurance policy. One more serviceable late inning reliever to mix with those two and Moylan. I’m in.

    Also, how does he figure to look as far as free agent status? We probably would be too scared to offer arb, anyway.

  152. If Linebrink can keep the HR down–a big if–I am afraid his best baseball is about 5 years behind him….

    McDowell has his work cut out….

    To be fair, Cofield may never make it anyway….

  154. Solid pickup, we dont lose any picks and we get veteran leadership for the kiddies back there. No big deal, we have young relievers in the pipeline so Cofield is no major loss.

  155. Well, that’s why we have Venters, O’Flaherty, Dunn, and Wagner out there… Wait, what?

  160. $4’s a bit much, but not enough for me to get worked up. I don’t mind supplementing our awesome youngsters with a veteran. If Kimbrel does what he did last year, and Venters’s arm is still attached, we have a bullpen that’s somewhere between solid and spectacular.

  162. I’m hoping the Braves still have 1-1.5 Million left over to go out an grab one more veteran lefty. I think Mahay or Ohman would fit in very nicely. The three lefty system last year seemed to be very effective, plus it would give us one more veteran so supplement this nasty young pen.

    RHP Kimbrell
    LHP Venters
    RHP Linebrink
    LHP O’Flaherty
    RHP Moylan
    LHP Ohman/Mahay/Rule 5 guy/Hyde
    RHP Beachy/Proctor/Marek/Martinez/Gearrin….

    I think this is a good deal for us, 4 Million is a little steep, but we’re paying for a guy in walk year and for the ability to add a reliever without giving up a draft pick. Wren has assembled a wealth of depth in the bullpen. I think it’s safe to say that Wren is much better at building bullpens and benches than JS was. 5-10 years ago we never had any relief PROSPECTS, over the last few years it seems like there are always a few guys in the high minors putting up numbers worth getting at least a little bit excited about.

  163. The Linebrink deal is a solid one. It is like signing a free agent without any compensation picks going the other way.

    Cofield is not among the top 50 Braves’ prospects.

  164. yeah I dont think anyone is upset about giving up Cofield its more of the $4 mil price tag on the vet. Im not upset, but I may be when we see what Putz, Wheeler, or Uehara get. Relievers are a dime a dozen though, look what Putz did in NY

    according to WAR figures though, Linebrink has been worth an average of $1.32 mil since 2004

  166. 162 – Well we started drafting a lot of relievers in 2005, Divine, Lyman, Startup, on to Fields, Gearrin, Berryhill, etc. Some of them were bound to pan out.

  167. my biggest question? whats plan B come ST if Chipper cant go? No chance we can start the year with Mather/McLouth/Heyward OF, right??

  168. i’m really looking forward to ST this upcoming year to see guys like ed lucas, mather, young, diory, and conrad battle for the last few bench spots. with mclouth being such a question mark and with chipper’s injuries, it just seems as though the bench for the braves plays a much bigger role than benches from other teams.

  169. Just read that Kawakami doesn’t want to go back to Japan. Thought that was almost a given.

    Wonder what he did. I mean, he wasn’t great, but the guy was at least about average. It’s gotta be a Kenny Lofton situation.

  170. The odds of Chipper and McLouth being productive are very low, but we’re still looking at a lineup that includes Heyward, Uggla, McCann and Prado. I know it’s not murderers row, but having four good hitters in the middle of a lineup is still a pretty strong offensive foundation, especially when you consider how good, deep and stable the pitching staff is.

  171. I don’t think I would put McLouth in the same sentence as Chipper. Even if Chipper is no better than last year, he would still be far, far better than McLouth and would certainly be worth having in the lineup.

  174. @170
    why are the odds of chipper and mclouth being productive very low? chipper, when on the field, has always been productive, and mclouth was productive up until last year. it seems like the odds to be productive should be in their favor.

  176. 171
    Don’t be irrational. Nobody is comparing them as overall baseball players. I listed them together because they both represent major question marks that have a very poor chance of panning out in the Braves favor. Chipper is nearing 40, coming off a knee surgery and a bad season and nothing he’s said in regards to his offseason and rehab inspire much confidence. I don’t think he feels he has anything left to prove, I’m afraid he’s reached the point in his career where he’s just milking his contract. I can’t blame him, but it’s unfortunate for fans of the team.

  177. DOB says that the Braves are actually getting at least $2.5M from the Sox.

    That’s more like it. In fact, I’ll call it the critical difference, just because.

    nice job ren

  178. we have a bullpen that’s somewhere between solid and spectacular.

    Even closer to spectacular. Our starting pitching ain’t too shabby either. If only Chipper could somehow manage to stay in the lineup. Even as his zombie alter ego, he would help a ton by simply keeping Prado in LF.

  180. now that’s more like it. a big attaboy to wren for getting a reliever for 2 million (and basically giving up nothing).

  182. I love how we all weigh in on these deals knowing full well in the backs of our heads that the initial dollars that are reported in these trades ALWAYS changes. It’s like watching the electoral map at noon on an election day.

  185. Gosh, If the White Sox are willing to part with 3.5 Million of a 5.5 Million dollar contract, just to save 2 Million dollars I think KK is movable. I mean if we ate 4 Million it seems like someone would bite.

  188. That’s more money than I thought they would get back, I have no problem with picking up Linebrink. It would be ideal to get a third lefty on a cheap deal like Ohman, but I think the bullpen is fine. I’d rather take whatever leftover money there is and apply it towards another outfielder, whoever that’s going to be, hopefully Diaz.

  189. Considering how much money we can spend, I would say Linebrink is a great pick up. Great deal by Wren. How can anyone of you still doubt the guy? The only concern is that we will be putting lots of faith in Venters and Kimbrel next season.

    Cofield is basically nothing.

  190. Diaz seems fine/content with a bench role and could be valuable to us once Prado has to shift to 3rd. Im sure they are looking for a backup SS for the last bench spot though

  191. With the new figures, I like the deal.

    Wouldn’t mind another vet in the pen. Strike that — what I’d really like is the old Moylan.

  192. @190 – yeah, I do not understand the Braves’ lack of respect for Diaz.

    If we can do better, fine, but I’ve yet to see a realistic name that beats him.

    If / when Prado has to return to 3B …

  193. so we filled two big holes with very good players and the only prospect moved was Kyle Cofield. Gotta give Wren props on this offseason so far.

    DOB speculated today that Kenshin would get moved before the season starts. Said the Braves would probably eat up to $5 mil of his 6.67 contract.

  194. Everyone knows that having another outfielder who can’t play defense is a bad move for this roster, right? right?

    Diaz has no use to this team now that Prado’s moving to left field. The Braves need a good defensive backup outfielder, preferably one who can play center field WELL.

    Also, paying $2 million for Linebrink will be worth it so long as his FIP stays around 4.

  195. so bullpen is what now?

    Kimbrel
    Venters
    EOF
    Linebrink
    Moylan
    Lisp
    Proctor/Marek/ or Asencio

    Thats a pretty good group and dont see anyone over $2.5mil. They are all easily making less than Wagner and Saito last year. Nicely done

  196. Everyone knows that having another outfielder who can’t play defense is a bad move for this roster, right? right?

    Everybody also knows there is a significant possibility of the need for a competent RH OF bat. Whether Diaz is the right guy for the role is certainly debatable, and whether the team wait to pick up someone like this if/when the need arises is a valid point, but the idea isn’t crazy on it’s face.

  199. Isn’t RH OF the role we have in mind for The Beav? (Mather, just trying it out early.)

    Seems to me they think he can hack it all four corners, making our depth charts

    3b 1.) Chipper, 2.) Prado, 3.) Mather, 4.) Hinske.

    If he can hit lefties close to as well as Hinske hits righties, he’s more useful than Diaz.

    LF 1.) Prado, 2.) Hinske, 3.) Mather

    1b 1.) Freeman, 2.) Hinske, 3.) Mather

  201. If he can hit lefties close to as well as Hinske hits righties

    Mather isn’t much from either side, but so far, he’s got a reverse career split. Not exactly a tailor made platoon partner.

  202. Another nice move, Birdman.

    On a side note, in advance of his book, American Hardcore, Steven Blush has posted 24 hours worth of classic and obscure American punk tunes from 80-86 (911 songs!). Seriously amazing stuff, if you like that kind of thing.

    link

  203. Just got up and see that Linebrink costs only 2 million, so yes the deal is now pretty appealing.

    At this point, I would say the chance of Cofield becoming a big league pitcher (that is, more than getting a ‘cup of coffee’) are no more than 50-50….

  205. I may get called out but I actually find Chip better at doing basketball. Doesn’t seem to piss himself anytime someone makes a shot. But I only watched the Colorado-UGA game and didn’t see him tonight, so I might be a little off base.

  207. Chip and Larry Conley are a good team for basketball.

    The pace of the game plays to Chip’s strengths and minimizes his weaknesses.

    As someone who watches a LOT of college basketball and has been known to go all Nerf Elvis on some announcers (I’m looking at you, Jimmy Dykes), Chip is just fine.

  209. Question for my SEC brethren:

    As we are wont to do this time of year, UK fans are kvetching over our football season and the subject of the relative value of coaching came up.

    Someone posited that the right coach can win anywhere and stated the following:

    “Vandy is the Stanford of the SEC. You put Harbaugh at Vandy and they’d eventually win ten games.”

    Agree / disagree?

    The right coach sure makes all the difference in basketball. It seems to in football, as well. Or is the overall strength of the SEC a limiting factor?

  211. Strengths? Good pipes, enthusiasm, good handle on the language, focuses on the game, humble with his broadcast partners – to name a few.

    Weaknesses? Can get kinda “Flo from Progressive” at times, tries to be earnest and sardonic at the same time (can’t be done), enthusiasm sometimes leads to “Brother, don’t think I’da said that” moments …

  212. Yeah, I’ve buried my face in my hands both times Chip has appeared at the beginning of a UGA hoops telecast…then I’ve watched the game and realized afterward that I’d (almost) completely forgotten to be annoyed by him. He’s actually…pretty good.

  213. justhank @208,

    I think any program has to rise in stages, or over a period of time. Unless the “really good player” has a family or severe academic reason, they aren’t looking to go to Vanderbilt (or Stanford) and lose.
    Where Duke can somewhat do that in basketball, they only have to get 4 good players a year. in football, you have to get 15 good players a year (and 8 or so “fillers”) just to have a chance.

    So, in the SEC, the first challenge is to rise to “solid middle of the pack”. A good coach with the right fit can do that (but it takes at least 3 to more like 5 years). Then, despite his obvious success, he has to be committed to stay there for 5 more years to get to the “good team” stage.

    At Stanford, “middle of the pack” could be achieved in very little time because the bottom of the Pac 10 and the middle are so far below SEC standards. Then Harbaugh was helped in transitioning up again by the fall of USC and the two Washington teams. Plus Harbaugh had a neat connection back into the old “coal town, steel town, rust belt” area from being “a Michigan man”.

    So the right coach COULD turn Vanderbilt into a football power with it in the SEC, but the number of dominoes that have to fall in line make it very unlikely.

  214. A good coach isn’t enough. At Northwestern we have one of the brightest in Pat Fitzgerald. He has made the team competitive in the big ten but I watched as Penn State came back from 21 down as they used their size and athleticism to simply run us over.

  221. Jeter’s gonna sign soon for something like $50 million. It’s a three-year deal with a fourth-year option based on his play during the first three years. No one knows quite what the option will look like — apparently it’s neither a vesting option nor a club option. I’m guessing it will be something like a club option that becomes a player option if he plays well enough.

  223. I also agree that Chip is far better at basketball than baseball. I had a similar reaction to sansho.

    I believe he was the play-by-play voice of the Orlando Magic for a long time. It seems pretty clear that basketball is his best sport, but he started doing baseball more because he likes it better.

  229. The “A-Gon” rumors made me think of Alex Gonzalez. I was like, “Who’s clamoring for him?”

    Then I realized…

  230. Re: Heels
    UNC’s point position is a problem & they turn the ball over way too much. But that was a nice win. Gonna see them in a few weeks at MSG vs mighty Rutgers.

    Re: #2
    The Yankees can afford to overpay Jeter (or anyone they want). His value to the brand extends beyond the field. Yankee fans love their legends and the team celebrates them at every turn. It’s a big part of their appeal to their fanbase.

    The resurgence of the Yankees as a team and their emergence as a mega-brand coincide exactly with the length of Jeter’s career. All those ticket sales, all that gear, all that TV money… it’s all tied to winning & he’s the guy who most represents that to the millions of paying fans.

    Bottom Line: If he continues to regress as a player, that money isn’t going to hurt the New York Yankees in the slightest. They’ve wasted millions on guys who never contribute (the Kei Igawas & Drew Hensens of the world). The discussion of actual value means very little in The Bronx.

    And if he completely falls off a cliff performance-wise, they’ll just get someone else.

  231. Vandy is the Stanford of the SEC. You put Harbaugh at Vandy and they’d eventually win ten games.

    Completely disagree, unless the hiring of a Harbaugh is accompanied by a slashing of admissions standards and a meteoric rise in cheating. It’s one thing to do that in the Pac 10, with a California recruiting base; it’s quite another to try it in the SEC, with a Tennessee recruiting base. We will never do any better than “in bowl contention, most years” — which would, of course, be a big upgrade from the present — if we stay in the SEC and maintain our standards. Thank God for basketball, baseball, etc.

  232. Is Spurrier going to get embarassed in Atl? Their defense looks awful. No one player can spy Cam Newton, even I know that

  233. berkman signed with the cardinals and the cardinals are saying he’s going to be their everyday left fielder. WOW!

  237. I’d probably move Pujols back to 3B before I played Berkman in the OF regularly. This could be a disaster of GAnderson-esque proportions (with better offense, natch.)

  239. South Carolina hasnt learned anything from the Auburn tapes this year. FG’s (made or missed) wont allow you to keep up with Auburn

  242. @235
    “Berkman will earn $8MM according to Jon Heyman of SI (via Twitter). The former Houston Astro will be placed in left field with Matt Holliday being moved to right field.”

  243. lol, Stephen Garcia

    dont see how anyone could say Auburn isnt the best team in the country right now. This will be their 6th win against top 25 opponents, Oregon has beaten 2.

  245. Oregon hasn’t played the SEC schedule, and is rightly ranked second behind Auburn, but if the Tigers go in thinking they’re going to walk over the Duck offense they’ll get surprised. That’s a good team out there, and anyone who’s watched them play this year would know as much.

  246. Carolina really needed a whole lot more out of Garcia to stay in this one. They never really established #21 in the first half either.

    I hate the BCS format, but Auburn/Oregon should be a really entertaining football game.

  248. “Cammy Cam Juice”?

    Bwahahahaha!

    It’s probably a good thing for Auburn that he’s a one-year wonder.

    Wham, Cam, thanks for the Trophy, ma’am.

  249. Good win for UNC. Zeller was great.

    As a UK fan, I love the UK / UNC game – always a good game, it seems.

  250. Ryan, interesting. I guess I was reading an earlier ESPN report that speculated Berkman’d be in right. LF makes more sense for him — but he doesn’t make much sense for them. $8 million for his carcass is a whole lot of bread for the dead.

  252. @241 – Rasmus better eat his Wheaties next season before every game. That will be some putrid corner OF defense. Of course, they could always trade Colby to us and complete the trifecta. Keeping fingers crossed.

  254. MLBTR has us as one of the teams that have “checked” on greinke. **Salivates**

    he makes a chunk of change this year so i dont see how it’s possible, but that’d be cool as a fan.

    would jurrjens and beachy get it done?

  255. how about a 7 player swap, royals?
    nate mclouth
    kenshin kawakami
    brandon beachy
    jair jurrjens
    stephen marek
    10 million dollars

    for
    alex gordon
    zack greinke

  256. Yeah, I’m sure that the Royals are really interested in our crap. Well, they are the Royals, but normally they’re after crap from our farm system.

  258. ububba@205,

    I’m hoping to get those under my Christmas tree now, many thanks. It’s been a blast sorting through those mp3’s, so many great songs from that beautiful time that I’ve never heard before and a bunch of songs that are as close to time travel as it gets.

    I mean, the Pop-O-Pies version of “Truckin'” is worth the batch download by itself.

  259. @OldHossRadbourn The Cardinals like L. Berkman so much they are going to put a statue of him in the OF this year.

  260. The conversation for Greinke would probably start with Hanson and Teheran, and we’d balk. I wonder if the Royals would find any offer to beat Jurrjens + (one of) Delgado/Vizcaino + pitching depth (Beachy, Hyde, Marek, Ortegano, Hoover.)

    Jurrjens, Vizcaino, and Hoover… Probably doesn’t get it done.

  263. “The conversation for Greinke would probably start with Hanson and Teheran”

    No way. He’ll fetch a high-end prospect, maybe, but I wouldn’t bank on that big of a package. When he gets dealt to Texas or New York this offseason you’ll see. In any event, the Braves can’t afford him, so it’s a moot point.

  264. I hate the idea of acquiring Greinke. He’s a great pitcher, but we already have plenty of front line pitching and more on the way seemingly.

  265. Hanson by himself is a more valuable property than Greinke. He’s three years younger, $13 million less expensive, and you could flip a coin between their 2010 peripherals. Greinke has achieved the mystical status of a savant because of his idiosyncrasies and the remoteness of the Royals, but there are probably 20 SPs I’d rather have, and Hanson is definitely one of them.

  266. Get ready, if the Outback Bowl screws Carolina and take Florida, the Vols will head to the Gator, Carolina to Peach-fil-a, MSU to the Music City.

    Peach Bowl gets to pick before Gator and the SEC Championship loser can’ fall further than that.

    I think the SEC needs to boot the Outback bowl (even though they are helping my team this year) Every year they pull crap like this.

  267. Amending previous statement: I don’t think there are 20 better starting pitchers than Greinke right now, but there might be 20 that I wouldn’t trade straight up for him.

  268. I forget, is Medlen gone for the entire year or will he be ready by August (aka, playoff run time)?

  271. Bama to the Capital One, LSU to Cotton, Outback took Florida. The Peach-Fil-A is taking South Carolina.

    Miss St and Tennessee waiting on the Gator to vote at 4:00. The one not selected goes to Music City. Vols vs Michigan would be a nice match up.

  278. Spike – The BoSox must have made a really crappy offer then.

    You figure no one can outbid them and Gonzalez eliminates the risk of his value diminishing.

    Who else would be in the mix next year?

  279. 7/$126MM for Werth. I see why Jayson seems to not mind playing for a horrible franchise like the Nationals. Dumb contract.

  284. I like the Werth deal. Unless Domonic Brown is immediately amazing, it hurts the Phillies, while at the same time really screwing the Nats’ finances and lessening the chances of the Nationals being a serious threat. With the Uggla deal, we really hurt the Marlins’ offense. Things are lookin’ up!

  289. The things I yelled about the Bucs at my TV when Grimes grabbed that game-clinching INT should definitely not be repeated in polite company. I really freaking hate those guys.

  291. Was anyone else hoping for a Stanford-Arkansas Sugar Bowl? I would have loved to have seen a Mallet-Luck matchup.

  293. @283 That’s what happens when a team that has too much money to spend and Scott Boras come together. Heck, we were there at one point when we signed Lowe. Fortunately, we are only on hock for four years, and seems like Lowe is finding his form by the season ended.

  294. I’m floored by the Werth deal. It’s not like they were one player away from contending…

  295. best matchup outside of the NC game…TCU vs Wisconsin. Wisconsin is a very good team, by far the best TCU has seen this year.

    where can you find the average size for a team. Id love to see the average size of the OL and DL players for Auburn and Oregon

  296. Nats sign Werth to a ridiculous deal, but they lost Dunn. They havent improved at all IMO. Why not keep Dunn for less and go add a decent OF player?

  297. I agreed with them not re-signing Dunn; he wasn’t worth 4 years, $60 million to them. But I strongly disagreed with their refusal to trade either Dunn or Willingham at the deadline last year, when both were at peak trade value, as Willingham was having the best year of his life and Dunn was already sending strong signals that he wanted around $60 million, which the Nats had already decided they didn’t want to pay.

    The Werth deal is just hard to justify. They’ve been saying that they think he can continue to improve into his mid-30s, but it’s awfully hard to do that legally. Maybe they know something we don’t know.

  298. The Nats, lol…

    If only the Phillies were as stupid as the rest of our competition in the east.

  300. @296 They have to overpay to sign any free agent. While they may not win in the next two or three years, they still have to put a respectable product on the field.

    That’s exactly what we did with Lowe, but the Nats just did it with a further extend.

  301. Mac you should really put a disclaimer/reminder when you link to DOB that one shouldn’t read the comments. We all KNOW it, but I was so used to read-scroll here that I accidentally did it there too… and now I’ve lost at least 20 IQ points.

  303. Season ticket renewals are abysmal for the Nats — they’re doing anything they can to grab a headline and spark some interest. Must be nice being Werth.

  305. Season ticket renewals are abysmal for the Nats

    Nats fans probably feel like jilted lovers after the Strasberg injury. They’re still learning Lesson #1 of rooting for a doomed franchise — don’t get your hopes up.

  307. Every time I hear a quote from Alderson, I get kind of scared at where the Mets could be in two or three years with a FO that isn’t completely incompetent and their high income. I just pray that the ownership is too impatient.

    The Werth deal is hilarious. I had to doublecheck and make sure it wasn’t a reposting of an Onion article.

  309. I think it was Alderson I saw on MLB Network over the weekend saying basically that they realize they’re hobbled by some contracts and won’t be making big moves this year, and maybe next while they get their house in order. Scary stuff.

  310. When Bedard is signing for $1mil and Harang is signing for $3mil, it makes me wonder if we could give KK away. Wren has his hands full with that one.

  311. Ok, so what do you guys and gals want for Christmas?

    I know what you’re getting(coal), but what do you want?

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