Jim Thome: Forever Known As 'The Man Traded For Aaron Rowand'

I can't stand Jim Thome.  Ugh.  Blech.  Ptooey.  Okay, 98% of my disdain is directly attributable to what he did against me in the World Series when I played Triple Play 97 (from EA Sports, which I totally won from KNBR!).  I used Mark Gardner, Shawn Estes, Rod Beck, and even the great William VanLandingham, but I just could not get him out.  I mean, what a jerk, right?  That game was also where I first noticed his not-quite-calling-his-shot way that he holds his bat way out in front of him while the pitcher gets set.  All arrogant and confident.  I hate that.  I'm pretty sure I woke my wife up at least once by yelling something like "Yeah, that's right, Jim Thome!  You do that thing with your bat, and we're going to be coming inside like that all day long!"

Although now that I'm thinking about it, that bat pointing thing might only bug me in that game, as I don't think I even notice it when I actually watch him hit.  So I might have adjusted my Thome-hate to being 100% from that game, except for this horror:

Disgruntled, Drunken GM's And The Owners Who Love Them

Adam:  Boy that Pujols is awful this year, eh?

Gabe:  Keep talking like that.  Try to get some writers to say it.  Maybe his price will drop enough that the Giants can afford him after the season.

Adam:  Does Rowand's contract end this season?  Zito?  Are you freeing up some cash?

Gabe:  Neither.  Not Huff, either.  DeRosa yes.  Ross, probably.  Tejada, yes.  Although pretty much all of that money is going to go to pitchers getting raises.

Adam:  Are you possibly expanding AT&T Park?

Gabe:  No, but I'm sure they'll raise ticket prices again.  Maybe we can get a cheaper GM.

Adam:  Maybe.

Gabe:  And they're going to be putting the Copenhagen logo on the butts of all the uniforms.

Posey, sponsored

Adam:  Nice.  Posey's ass will certainly sell chew.

Gabe:  That's tweetable.

Adam:  Any chance Zito clears waivers so you can deal him to the Yankees?

Gabe:  I'm sure they'll put him on waivers and hope someone claims him like Alex Rios.

Adam:  Like some drunk GM thinking he is being funny.

Gabe:  Exactly like that.  Neal Huntington is going to wake up all hung over and see Barry Zito warming in the pen.

Adam:  My money is on Ed Wade, just three sheets to the wind one night ... wanting to screw the new ownership that he knows is going to fire him ... drunkenly leaves them with Zito as their ace.

Gabe:  That sounds altogether too plausible.  Think we can get a couple of those Phillies prospects they just got for Pence?  Maybe Wandy Rodriguez?  We can throw in Astros' fan favorite Migue Tejada.

Adam:  And maybe you could purchase the rights to Brad Ausmus from the Newark Bears (or dodgers) and throw him in too.

Gabe:  Good call.  Any way we can get Berkman in the deal?

Adam:  Maybe the corpse of Bagwell?

Gabe:  And Larry Anderson.

Adam:  Undoubtedly.

Whose Line Is It Anyway: August 12, 2011

Look at the following career total stat line, and guess which player has those numbers.  Then leave your guess as a comment to this post.  First one with the right answer wins a custom desktop wallpaper featuring your favorite (non-dodger, non-o. smith) player, from any sport, built to the size of your screen.  Obviously, the "honor system" is at work here as far as not researching the answer.  You can submit more than one answer, but please make each guess a separate comment.  Come back every Friday for another game and chance to win!


Today's player had a 22 year career with 5 different teams.  He spent 21 years in the National League, and 1 in the American League.  So ... whose line is this? (click to view larger image)

Hints: 

• He was an All Star 10 times.
• He finished in the top 10 of MVP voting 5 times.
• His 22 seasons took place sometime between 1960 and 1995.

Last week's answer after the jump.

Whose Line Prizes!

Hey, we need to get caught up on a couple of Whose Line Is It Anyway winners!

Anthony correctly identified Larry Walker, and requested a desktop wallpaper with Ken Griffey, Jr.  (I didn't get your monitor resolution, so I just used a standard one.  Let me know if you need it re-sized.)

From Adam and Gabe Talk About Sports and Stuff

Christopher correctly identified both Steve Rogers and Kevin Mitchell, and gets this snappy Brandon Belt wallpaper.

From Adam and Gabe Talk About Sports and Stuff

Click on the thumbnail to see a larger version, but you need to click "download" in the upper left to get the full sized image.

Congratulations to both of you!

Whose Line Is It Anyway: July 29, 2011

Look at the following career total stat line, and guess which player has those numbers.  Then leave your guess as a comment to this post.  First one with the right answer wins a custom desktop wallpaper featuring your favorite (non-dodger, non-o. smith) player, from any sport, built to the size of your screen.  Obviously, the "honor system" is at work here as far as not researching the answer.  You can submit more than one answer, but please make each guess a separate comment.  Come back every Friday for another game and chance to win!


This player had a 14 year career, spending parts or all of seasons with 8 different clubs.  He played nine seasons in the National league, and five in the American League.  So ... whose line is this? (click to view larger image)

Hints:  

• He was a 3-time All Star
• He won 3 Gold Gloves
• He finished in the top 10 of MVP voting twice

Last week's answers after the jump.

Do you trust management?

Well we are in the midst of the craziest personnel week maybe in the history of sports. The NFL is back from their lockout out and trying to find a way to squeeze their entire off season into a 5 day period. Then you have the baseball trading deadline this week. As a Bears and Braves fan I am obviously consumed with the news of the goings on with my teams. The rise of Twitter has made this so much fun, but also that much more stressful as the multitude of rumors that swirl about is impossible to manage and navigate with any success. Here is a tweet from Gabe in the midst of the insanity and just after the Beltran trade was starting to come into clarity.

@thatgabe Gabe Guterres

Who is the best prospect Sabean has ever traded away? Nathan? Accardo? He has weak areas. Trading future all stars isn't one of them.

One of the feelings that continues to resonate with me is the idea of trust. I think my entire off season or trade deadline enjoyment comes down to whether or not I trust the management of my team. Can’t you relate to that feeling? When you see a team trade or sign a guy and you sit there thinking, why didn’t we do that? In baseball you see the prospects offered up for a great player and you are just befuddled at your team’s unwillingness to surrender the same bounty for the high valued returns. Or you see the guys signed by your opponents and you think, what could have possibly possessed them to make a stupid move like that (Uribe)? It is really a matter of how much you trust the management of your favorite team and your GM’s track record of success or failure.

In the case of the Braves, I lean more toward trust in Frank Wren than not. So as the trade deadline approaches in the major leagues I find myself more curious and antsy than annoyed and frustrated. I wouldn’t put Wren on the Rushmore of decision makers, but he certainly has earned a bit of trust. The great Rangers/Braves massacre was not Wren’s doing. He has made good personnel moves and very few moves I actually hate. That really is what it comes down to as a fan, trust. This morning I woke up to the news that the Patriots traded for Albert Haynesworth and Chad Johnson (his momma called him Johnson, so I am going to call him Johnson). All over the media this morning there is massive praise for the great business sense of Belichick and his ability to consistently buy low and bring veterans into a strong locker room and get production out of them. There is no doubt that the city of Boston and the fans of the Patriots trust Bill to overcome Albert’s penchant for trouble and Johnson’s addiction to attention. Bill has won this trust after years and years of quality moves and his ability to control his locker room.

As a Bears fan I have zero trust in the management of the Chicago Bears. Too be honest, zero may be a slight exaggeration of just how much trust I do in fact have in Angelo and Smith. I tell every one that there are three constants in Chicago. Jerry Angelo is a terrible GM, Lovie Smith is completely clueless and Urlacher can tackle. Angelo has repeatedly used the phrase “trust us” when discussing personnel moves. Why? Why should I trust you to make any decisions for the team? Let’s take a look at why we should or shouldn’t trust you Jerry.

Yesterday the Bears traded away their first round pick from the 2007 draft. While I have so much to say about that trade, that is not the point of this article. With the trade of Greg Olsen the Bears now have absolutely nothing to show for the entire 2007 draft. To be clear, that draft was four years ago. The players taken in that draft should be entering the final years of their first contract. The Bears have zero left. Let’s go back a little further. Of the 2005 draft the only player that remains is Chris Harris, and we traded him away once! Take a look at the 2006 draft. One player remains. One! Of the 2009 draftees the Bears still have exactly two on the roster, and to be fair, only one is assured of a spot this year. So I ask again, why should I trust you? Isn’t the proof of your value as a General Manager found in how you manage the draft and build your roster? The Bears have one of the oldest rosters in the NFL because we cannot draft with any effectiveness, which means, that the really bad years are coming and there is no help on the way.

The problem with being a fan is that the only recourse you have in voicing your displeasure is to stop watching games and stop buying memorabilia. Well, very few of us are going to stop doing those things. So we are stuck. The McCaskeys run the Bears much like the McCourts run the Dodgers. The difference is that Bears fans continue to show up because they are some of the most loyal fans in all of sports, so the NFL can claim the Bears as a success and revenue stream and turn their backs on all of the shady dealings going on. Not trusting the management of your team is just draining. But what can we do? The idea of a fan union is great in theory, and would certainly change the landscape of sports, but we know that could never happen because Yankees fans are just fine with how things are going. And as we know, if Yankees fans are happy, ESPN is happy. So we are just stuck eating the rotten and stinky meal we are served by management. I guess I will just sit back, hold my nose, pretend its steak and watch the Bears play this year and do what I always do. Love the Bears, hate the management and pray the defense can shut out the opposition every week.

Simple Truths About Trades

During a morning health class at Acalanes High School, in the winter of 1987/88, I often found myself writing baseball lineups or letters instead of taking notes.  Some of those letters were to Al Rosen, who was the San Francisco Giants General Manager at that time.  I usually proposed some trade idea, because it was pretty likely I was going to come up with complex scenarios that would never cross his mind, and then I always closed with a plea to "never trade Clark, Thompson, or Dravecky, and retire all their numbers!"  While he took my advice, kind of, on that last line, he never made any of the trades I suggested.  That could be because they were mostly trades that would have the Giants send a big pile of crap for a superstar (say ... Mike LaCoss, Harry Spillman, Joe Price, and "hot" prospect Francisco Melendez for Benito Santiago).  My baseball knowledge and passion had grown significantly during the '87 season, and I felt pretty confident that I was coming up with incredibly savvy and creative ideas.  I tried similar approaches to trading baseball cards, and that didn't work either.  I'm still perplexed why my friend didn't want to swap his Gregg Jeffries Rated Rookie card for 17 Ron Hasseys.

I'd like to think that I've learned a few things about trades in the years since high school health class, so here are some things to keep in mind before you freak out about what your favorite team does or doesn't do as we head toward the trade deadline.  

1.  Trades usually have to make sense, on some level, for both teams.  I say "usually" because we are talking about a world in which the Pirates traded Rajai Davis for Matt Morris, but besides that, there has to be something each side gets out of the deal.  There are a lot of factors that go into a team pulling the trigger on a trade, but they have to feel like they are receiving some benefit.

You probably aren't the first person
to figure out Gaby Sanchez can hit.

2.  The chances are good that that other team's General Manager does, in fact, know how awesome that guy on his team really is.  I see you looking over there at that young, talented kid on that other team.  Gaby Sanchez?  Madison Bumgarner?  Justin Upton?  Robinson Cano?  Yeah, you're not going to be able to trick them into trading you those guys, especially when you're offering young players you already know have very little chance of living up to their hype.  If you know their guy is good and your guy isn't, that team's front office probably knew that 5 years ago.  Sorry.

3.  Money is a huge factor.  Some teams have some to spend.  More teams are looking to spend less.  Either way, both teams are looking at the dollars as closely as they are the players' abilities.

4.  "We couldn't have offered more than that?" is heard from fans of every team who failed to acquire the impact player they longed for.  I've said it more than once.  In fact, I fully expect to have a conversation in the next week that consists almost entirely of my Dad and I saying this to each other. But remember that these teams, even the small market ones, invest millions and millions of dollars into scouting and analysis, while I read some websites and watch SportsCenter.  As smart and insightful as I am, there are probably some things that I don't know that I don't know.  And again, there are plenty of financial things going on behind the scenes that you and I are unaware of.

5.  Sometimes you have to trade tomorrow for today.  Every fan dreams of a championship dynasty that would be compared to Ming instead of the Yankees, and for that to happen your team has to continue to produce successful players from within its own system.  But the reality is, sometimes this year is your chance, and you have to trade legitimate, high-ceiling prospects for the piece you're sorely missing.  In a perfect world, it works out for both teams.

6.  Other teams are also looking to improve.  Keep in mind that, unless a team is trying to lose enough games to trigger a clause in their contract that would allow them to move to Florida, teams want to compete and win.  That means beating the other teams.  At this moment, somewhere between 3 and 7 teams are making attempts to acquire Carlos Beltran from the New York Mets.  Not only does the team that ends up with him improve their squad, they also keep him from a team they might be in a pennant race with, or could see in a playoff series.  Every year, there are fewer true "impact" players available than there are teams that could use them, and any of the reasons we've talked about might mean another team matches up better for the selling team than yours does.  It's a drag when your team misses out, but it's just going to happen some of the time.

So this year when you're playing amateur GM, refreshing your Twitter feed and MLBTradeRumors at a frantic pace for the most up-to-the-minute info, try to keep these truths in mind.  And then yell at your TV, call your Dad, and write letters to Al Rosen.