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2008 Baseball Thread: You're not getting Seven!

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by Gutter, May 15, 2008.

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  1. Dangerous_K

    Dangerous_K Active Member

    Shawn Riggans with two home runs today. No word yet on snowfall in Hades.
     
  2. Angola!

    Angola! Guest

    He only has one. Iwamura has the other.
     
  3. novelist_wannabe

    novelist_wannabe Well-Known Member

    That's to say they've had talks. Both sides seem to be playing the game, though. Francoeur seemed perfectly happy to be renewed this spring.
     
  4. Dangerous_K

    Dangerous_K Active Member

    Ah, so I see. Either Yahoo edited an error, or I misread initially. Either way, good to see the world is not about to end.
     
  5. Hammer Pants

    Hammer Pants Active Member

    Seems like they'll have to pick Tex or Frenchy at some point. I can't see them signing both to long-term deals (and both of those guys would get a lot more than they're actually worth on the open market).
     
  6. BYH

    BYH Active Member

    Teixiera is going to wherever the money is.

    And when it happens, and he's the exception to the rule, I guarantee someone comes on here crying about how Boras is ruining baseball and all the big market teams are meanies.
     
  7. Bubbler

    Bubbler Well-Known Member

    To answer OOP's query about the Brewers sans pissyness, owner Mark Attanasio indicated earlier this week the Brewers would be in the market to trade, and pay for, a top-tier pitcher as needed if they're in the pennant race this summer.

    Moreover, the Brewers are working to sign Fielder, a Boras client, as well as Corey Hart and Yovanni Gallardo, but they have another home run-hitting prospect, Matt LaPorta, considered to be one of the best power prospects in the game, who will be at the big-league level probably next year.

    Most Brewers fans would prefer to keep Fielder, but I think most Brewers fans understand the club has some options if they can't.

    I feel fortunate that I've seen the light of having a competent owner, unlike Royals, Pirates, Rangers and Reds fans. In the Selig days, I was much like OOP, railing against the system.

    It was a crutch. The truth was that my team was very poorly run.

    At best it was benign neglect and/or management incompetence. At worst, my franchise might have been competitively deep-sixed on purpose for a five-year period in the late 90s as a bargaining chip for labor negotiations at the turn of the decade (once Miller Park's construction was assured).

    I lean towards the former, but suspect the latter.

    There's more to it than that, including fan bases and baseball front offices that are more savvy about the way the system works and can be worked, but any team CAN win in the current system.

    The only thing that should be added to the luxury tax system is a salary minimum, but even that shouldn't be exborbitant. Maybe $40 million.

    Baseball is fine.
     
  8. Hammer Pants

    Hammer Pants Active Member

    It would be hard to make a team salary minimum. What they could do is impose a team commitment minimum of whatever (let's say your $40 million). If you spent just $30 million on contracts, you'd have to show proof that at least $10 million went into infrastructure to improve your on-field product. If you could only prove $38 million, the other $2 million would be split up between other teams who paid more than $40 million, but less than $75 million.

    If a team like the Marlins can be competitive with a sub-$25 million roster, you can't punish them for that. But you can make damn sure that their owner isn't stuffing millions in his pockets while robbing the fans.
     
  9. doubledown68

    doubledown68 Active Member

    Jose Guillen wrapped up a tidy 13-for-30 homestand today... KC salvages a split on a 10-game homestand by winning four straight... bring on the Marlins.

    I'm officially sticking a fork in Detroit, and not just because the Royals have been pimp-slapping them. They can't win division games, and can't get anybody out. Not a good combo.
     
  10. John

    John Well-Known Member

    I saw where Griffey owed a teammate $1,500 -- and paid him in pennies. Nice to know he's kept his sense of humor.
     
  11. broadway joe

    broadway joe Guest

    I defended Willie through last year's collapse, because whatever his flaws, I didn't think he was the source of the Mets' problems. But given the absolute lack of passion they've shown since about May of last year, I've gotta say, yeah, it's time for him to go. My only problem with Minaya is that he made little effort to fix last year's awful bullpen, but overall, he's given Willie enough talent to win with. Maybe they're just underachievers and replacing the manager wouldn't be enough to wake them from their slumber, but Willie's had enough time to light a fire under them and he hasn't done it.

    Also, Jose Reyes reminds of me of Dwight Gooden in the way he mysteriously stopped being a dominating player and became very erratic all of a sudden. Turned out Gooden was doing coke. Just sayin'.
     
  12. Guy_Incognito

    Guy_Incognito Well-Known Member

    I bet the Mets win the east.
     
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