Hey baseball, welcome to the real world!

It's the Jon Daniels make-believe world. Maybe it's how he wants the baseball market to be or thinks it should be, but it's far from the reality. Every year there are a handful of veterans in the same situation -- for some it might be time to move on but some are just sitting back and waiting for the right dollar figure. I recall talking to Lofton three or four years ago in Tucson during spring training while he was waiting to get signed. He'll get a deal again this year (probably with Cincinnati). This is just a frustrated GM using the media to try and drive down prices for vets.

 

FH, that is so wrong, it's scary.

If you think a "middle classer" in major league baseball is average, you never saw some of these guys coming up. You've got to be supremely gifted, I mean, have scary-quick reflexes and eye-hand coordination, to even break into pro ball. And then to make your way up for even a cup of coffee, you're far, far more than average.

I, the normal guy, started moving away from the plate when the fastballs cracked 80 mph in Legion. These "average" guys put on batting-practice displays on such pitches.

 

Great point. The so-called average major leaguer is in the top .5 percent of baseball players in the world in a profession where you can't hide. The great thing about sports, baseball in particular, is that its one of the best examples of meritocracy in industry. There's very little subjectivity involved. Your well-connected uncle can't get you a job as major leaguer.

 

Well, it worked for Dick Allen's brother.

The old-boy network has far greater effects re those who occupy managers' offices.

 

Pretty sure you wanted the blue font there. Hank Allen could still hit a fastball that none of us could.

 

I have no problem with the consideration of genetics as part of the evaluation process. You'd have to be an idiot not to take a look at brothers and sons of gifted players. Prince Fielder anyone?

 

Yes, sir, he surely could.

But for him to be occupying valuable roster space as a part-time catcher (and that's putting it generously) was clearly a case of patting Dick's fanny, especially in Chicago -- but since Chuck Tanner was a ranking Dick Allen enabler within the business, we were not surprised at developments, at the time . . . especially since Hank's talent level was clearly established, by that point.

 

Daniels has entered dangerous territory. He hopes he can take reclamation projects, get them to perform, and then flip them to stock the minors. That seems to be his M.O. early in his reign.

What makes this dangerous is that he succeeded wildly last year. He flipped Eric Gagne to Boston for some mega prospects, he flipped Kenny Lofton to Cleveland for a decent AA catcher, and he got a solid year out of Sammy Sosa. He couldn't deal Sosa, but he dumped an unsignable Mark Teixeira on Atlanta in return for Salty, a few spares and a bucket of balls.

Jonny Boy spun the roulette wheel and hit it big a year ago. He is tempting the baseball gods with Milton Bradley, Ben Broussard et al. this year, and is hoping lightning strikes twice.

Screw that. How about drafting some kids worth a crap? Or better yet, getting some of the kids he has now up to the bigs and see what they can do?

 

Jon Daniels -- supergenius!

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=AvOVhAZwXMvU2I720qgJqIwRvLYF?slug=jp-rangersoutfield061308&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

 

LOL!