Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt. Billy Smith, I'm looking at you.
94 thoughts on “July 31, 2011: Trade Deadline”
I agree with you, spooky. It's kind of sad, though. Here we are, with a team that still has a shot at the division but has obvious needs, and instead of hoping we'll make a positive move, the best we think we can hope for from our GM is that he doesn't do something really stupid.
Maybe he'll surprise us all with the steal of the century, but thus far, he hasn't done anything to prove to me that he understands the worth of major league players.
It doesn't look good. I look forward to refreshing my phone every 20 minutes hoping Smith didn't trade Span since the last time I looked at my phone. Wait, no I don't.
I just don't want to believe BS would create a massive CF hole while only picking up a guy who fits the most fickle of roles.
I'd have to think long and hard about continuing to cheer for a BS-run team.
From Craig Calcaterra
Whatever the case, this makes it appear that the second annual “Nationals trade the Twins a relief pitcher for a promising player at a key defensive position” deal is on track.
If Smith is able to get Lombardozzi I'll be less annoyed. I understand the team might feel like there is an OF logjam, but trading the really good defensive player who gets on base is not how I'd choose to deal with that logjam.
Lombardozzi has a half way decent minor league career. Over 4 seasons he has a 298/370/413 line. If he keeps Tolbort out of the line up, well, I don't know. I don't want to talk myself into this trade.
I'm just excited for a lineup of Butera at C, Lomardozzi at 2b, and Tody Gardenhire at SS. You know it will happen!
Jake Mauer coaching at 3B, too.
from one random Nationals fan who put some thought in to it
As someone watching this situation very closely, it is clear that the Nationals need to resolve an ongoing problem – OBP at the top of the lineup. Span is a great pickup for the Nats assuming he’s not the next Justin Morneau — concussions are nothing to mess with. Storen is a stud, but you have to give to get. As was the case with Ramos, Minnesota has a long term answer in the position they are considering trading away – Ben Revere will likely be as good or better than Span. What incenses me here is the inclusion of Stephen Lombardozzi in these talks – his OBP has been the same as Spans MLB numbers throughout his minor league career. So – trade him for Span straight up (or with cash) and include Bernadina as a backup – especially since the Lombardozzi family has good Twins history – OR trade Storen and Bernie for Span and someone who isn’t concussed (Capps?) – but all 3? Forget it – trade Desmond to Tampa Bay for Upton and bring Lombardozzi up instead. Mike, I hope you’re listening – CONCUSSION. It’s probably the only reason the Twins are even considering giving up a guy under team control for several years.
"Revere will likely be as good or better than Span?"
Yeah, he put some thought into it...
I just want today to end, that's all.
The deadline's midnight, but in what time zone?
Edit: Oh, right, they don't do the midnight thing anymore. 4pm eastern?! That's so soon. I'm way more nervous now.
you know who is the newest addition to people denard span is following on twitter? @DrewStoren
@keithlaw: This rumor that Nats & Twins are fighting over Steve Lombardozzi Jr - maybe future utility guy - discredits both organizations
Presented without comment.
Presented with comment:
.286/.355/.356 -- Denard Span, minor leagues
.299/.371/.414 -- Lombo Jr., minor leagues
If Lombo Jr.'s ceiling is future utility guy, what was Span's ceiling? If on-base ability at the top of the order is what we're looking for, it at least seems within the realm of possibility that Lombo Jr. could provide that. Would there be risk involved? Sure. But I don't think Law has solid enough scouting info to totally discredit Lombo Jr. like that at this point.
Here's another comparison:
.289/.358/.436 -- Orlando Hudson, minor leagues
.299/.371/.414 -- Lombo Jr., minor leagues
I mean, how much would you complain about this trade if it turned out to be Span for a young Eddie Guardado (decent closer but not as good as, say, Nathan has been), a young Orlando Hudson (solid league-average second baseman), and a young Dustin Mohr (part-time corner outfielder)? Much as I like Span, I wouldn't mind that trade a bit.
If anything, it's absolutely hilarious for Law to make a comment like this regarding a potential Denard Span trade. How often was Span totally dismissed by pundits as a prospect? The situation also involves Revere, who was supposed to flame out in A-ball, if I remember the draft day histrionics correctly.
This is, of course, why I presented it without comment. I don't know enough about some of the names getting tossed around, and I don't have the time today to look any of them up.
Thank you for clearing things up, as always, Ubes.
No worries. And I don't intend to paint a picture of Storen/LomboJr/whatever as the next great trade haul, it just irks me when guys like Law act as though they know a player's future with such confidence. Span's a good player, but especially given the concussion issues, his career could go Koskie on us sooner rather than later. Storen and Lombo Jr. could be pretty good plaeyrs, or they could totally flop, or they could have troubles with injury and not play a lot. That's one reason I more or less can't stand judging trades solely based on how players played after they were traded. Nathan/Liriano/Bonser turned out to be a better group of players than Gomez/Guerra/Humber, but it's not like that was obviously going to be the case.
I legitimately wonder if Law's painting Lombo Jr. as a guy with a utility ceiling because of his name.
If that's the case, then I'm painting a jail cell ceiling for Law.
There's a 52% chance we can back off from the ledge.
I just bought myself and my daughter SPAN 2 shirts. I want him to stay with the team long-term.
I haven't been around much becuz I'm up at my in-laws' for Waterama, and one of my SiLs has been sleeping in the computer room, and when everyone else is awake, my wife gives me dirty looks if I've been at the computer for more than 5 mins straight.
More than five minutes straight? EAR would hate me.
Of course, I'm a writer. Maybe that's what grants me reprieve from the Milkmaid's wrath.
And on that theme, where is everyone? Has bS been gone a long time (by his standards)? meat? I know a couple others had been taking the bar, but it seems like the fort's been held down by fewer dudes than usual.
If meat doesn't get back soon, I might have to take it upon myself to do a pork post. (had a good one last night.)
As long as we don't have to look at a Beau pork post.
There's the "pork" joke I was looking for
I've been busy with the sweet corn harvest, plus trying to come up with an idea for a really hard challenge. But, yeah, bS has been AWOL for a while now. At least the bots are still hanging around.
When bS asked for someone to pinch hit for him (tomorrow's game log plus First Monday Book Day) it made it sound like he would be getting in late tonight. So, I expect we'll see Doc back around these parts tomorrow or the next day.
And on that theme, where is everyone?
I'm in the motherland working on an ancient computer with crappy internets. Pork and beans will be up today. Well, maybe.
Well, we're at her parents' house for family time, and I do often use the computer to retreat from any socialization. Right now, everyone's outside in the heat. I just put the 16-month-old down for her nap and I'm taking in the A/C whilst I can.
There are Mirror Pond IPAs in the cooler outside, and some Breckenridge Vanilla Porters. So I may have to talk to people again.
(FiL took me to a new liquor store 10 miles out of town called "County Line Liquor", at least twice the selection of Glenwood's only in-town store, "The Grog Shop".)
Ah, the Grog Shop. Been there a few times.
Fifteen minutes and EAR just came in asking if I could come outside and actually be with people. I doubt I'll be back until I'm back in the twin cities. L8r.
Mirror Pond IPA? Does that actually exist separate from Mirror Pond PA?
Near as I can tell, there is only one Mirror Pond. (Their IPA is the Inversion, if I'm not mistaken.)
Right. I wondered why there would be a Mirror Pond IPA in addition to Inversion.
Course, you get out west and there's such little distinction between the two styles, they may as well both be called IPA.
Yeah. When I run into a non-hoptastic PA out here, I'm surprised.
At some point, you crazy west coasters are just going to make every style the same as an IPA.
In Arizona, a similar principle applies to restaurant food. The Milkmaid and I took the kids to Red Robin a few days ago, and we both got our usual, but the Milkmaid couldn't eat it because it was so spicy it was burning her mouth.
Look for the Nimbus brews out of Tucson. I'm a fan of the Old Monkey Shine (I have a feeling our friend from buffalo would really appreciate their take on the english style).
If Nimbus products are here in town, I haven't spotted them. The most convenient place for me to buy brew thus far seems to have a pretty cruddy selection (or, rather, it's got some good ones but for me they're the same old, same old).
Anyway, I'll look for them.
Sorry, Mirror Pond Pale Ale. Wasn't thinking whilst typing.
I bought it becuz I seemed to remember you liked it.
You remember correctly. Big fan.
Alright, I can get a little zany when it comes to these trade rumors. If the Twins are serious about trading Span for Storen (+ other stuff) today, which I am terrified they are, I have been looking around the mlb for possible ancillary moves. Here is the best I can come up with.
Marlon Byrd for Kevin Slowey.
Byrd makes 5.5 (pro rated) this season and 6.5 million in 2012. The Twins want to move Slowey and are going to need someone in the outfield who plays passable defense (-.8 UZR/150), the Cubs need pitching help and Slowey is a proven start who could thrive in the NL.
This keeps the Twins in the AL Central hunt while building for the future.
I can't believe have gotten to the point where I am coming up with ways to justify trading Denard Span for a relief pitcher by using the acquisition of Marlon Byrd. Someone tell me this is an awful idea.
The end of the trade deadline can't come soon enough.
Trading Slowey for a guy who will be 34 next season would probably make me angrier than Span for Storen and Lombo Jr. I know the club has gutted his value, but I'd rather they try to get someone who has struggled but is young and cheap (Dexter Fowler, who is turning into the new Ian Stewart in Denver) than someone who will be old and likely not worth his contract next year.
Thanks, I needed that.
I needed it as much as you. If I were Smith I'd have already been selling, but I guess my pessimism about this season even has its limits. That's comforting to know.
I'm hoping if I head out to the ball game today and don't listen to or pay attention to any sort of MLB news, this whole thing will blow over and I'll come home tonight with no memory of any of these rumors.
I wouldn't mind the memory of the rumors. I'd like to look back on this and laugh...
Pirates interested in Jason Kubel. Maybe. Even though the two teams aren't talking about it. There's a reason the site is MLBtraderumors, I guess.
Yeah, I don't touch that stuff. I'm sure every team is interested in a lot of things, just like I'm interested in selling my script in the next 24 hours.
I'm interested in selling my house. Your script for my house?
How is this deal not already done? Make it happen, KW.
I can see what you're saying. Spooky's script is a work in progress, but with a lot of upside. It could be the next "Good Will Hunting," or it could be gutted and grafted onto "Transformers 4" as a trivial but humorous side story. Beau's house is probably 36 years old (if we can believe the records) and doesn't stand out much in a market filled with similar properties.
At the same time, Beau's house is a replacement-level major-league-level shelter, and the current value of that should not be underestimated. If spooky's script does win an Oscar, he might feel bad for not making the trade, but the odds of that are low, and he'll still have a roof over his head.
The drama of the trade deadline truly is the stuff of legends.
If a comedy about a guy who dies over an over can win an Oscar regardless of the writer's skill or place in Hollywood, I'd be surprised.
Any chance you're a former stripper and City Pages scribe, and have Jason Reitman attached to direct?
She and I know a few of the same people. That's a contact I should probably make one of these days.
I only remember one of her City Pages articles. It was a review of the second season of Project Runway, and an effusive praise of Santino Rice, which matched my feelings on the program to that point, as well. I made it a point to read the rest of her articles. But there weren't that many more after that point. Juno began shooting about a year later.
Sources close to me indicate I might be willing to listen to offers on my 300,000-mile Volvo station wagon.
Sources say the Calf is considered a franchise player and isn't moving.
I've already agreed to a trade in principle with my sister and Future BiL for Omar
Man, Mitch Williams is a dofus.
Certainly, but why this time?
Are you watching mlb network? It never stops.
I mind him less than Dan Plesac, but it's a matter of degrees. Seems to me that, if you're looking for a good baseball analyst, a relief pitcher is the last guy you'd have on your list. And MLBN has two of them.
I could be, as long as it's streaming on MLB.com right now. If he's the featured guy, though, I might want to stay away.
He actually strikes me as a good guy and he's fairly level-headed, but he's so traditional and so often off the mark. Billy Ripken, though, is way worse. He fervently argues in favor of the Win being the main tool in choosing Cy winners and whatnot, and it's clear he can't separate the Win from the win.
Apparently the Clevelands are going after Ryan Ludwick now. What do they have left for bait?
Ubaldo
If we end up with Lombo, Jr. the one consolation is how Dazzle will feel about it.
Verlander is dealing. No hits through seven.
lets trade Kevin Slowey and Delmon Young for him!
Unfortunately, that sounds like a trade that we'd be on the other side of.
If Verlander can retire the last six batters in order, Tee-Nuts will be the last out.
Joe C:
"Numbers can't possibly tell you everything about the guy," Gardenhire said of Revere.
Gardenhire continued to hope Span would be activated from the DL in time for Tuesday's game against the Angels in Anaheim, Calif. Asked how the outfield would look when Span returned, Gardenhire said, "Denard will be the center fielder, and we'll work around him."
Before Span went to Rochester for his rehab assignment, Gardenhire suggested he play a little left field and right field, to be sure he'd be comfortable moving to the corners in a pinch. According to insiders, Span balked at the idea, saying he'd move to a corner if necessary but felt he'd established himself as a center fielder.
Asked about that conversation in a telephone interview, Span said, "I really don't care to go there. I really don't."
I think Dino is a terrific player and I will really bummed if this goes down.
I'm pretty bummed to hear Span so reluctant to play in a corner spot. That's a lot less disruptive a position change than it is for, say, a starting pitcher to have to move to the bullpen. Rickey Henderson made a pretty good career out of playing LF and leading off, for instance. Ichiro's won a boatload of Gold Gloves from RF. There's not really any shame in a corner outfield spot. I haven't gotten to see Span or Revere in any significant way this year, but Gardy will have more options if he can move Span to a corner, and a more flexible roster, by and large, is a better roster.
I think we're going to get pretty tired of watching guys tagging up from first on medium deep balls to CF, is all I'm going to say about Revere's arm.
I've generally thought arm strength is the least important tool, but there are limits to everything.
I remember watching live as Revere lobbed rainbows in from CF last fall - I'd absolutely prefer Span.
Deadline's passed. White-knuckling it for late announcements now.
Well, nothing happened. Yay?
Yay.
meh.
Nothing is better than anything, when Bill Smith is doing the anything.
And considering the rumors that were flying around, nothing is the best case scenario.
Span to be activated, Hughes sent down. Which means Revere is still on the team. I have to think he will get plenty of time in left. Revere and Span in left and right should be an awesome combination. Also, with Casilla hurt, Span and Revere at the top of the lineup could be fun to watch. Will it be Span then Revere or vice versa? I would go with Span first and then you can have Revere go for a bunch of bunt hits. It may not have been coincidence that Cuddyer started at second today. He may stay there and Delmon, Kubel and Thome could take care of RF/DH. Of course none of this matters if we can't start getting some decent starting pitching. We gave up 20 runs in three games to the A's. That's beyond awful. The A's announcers were talking about a lot of the hitters being hot, but that offense is still awful. Meanwhile, Slowey threw eight dominant innings in AAA the other day.
Whoops, Cuddyer is normally the first baseman right now. Maybe Kubel can take grounders at first base so Delmon can play right and Thome can DH. I highly doubt Thome playing first, even just occasionally, is an option at this point in his career. And for the record, I don't blame the Twins for not doing anything at the trade deadline. This team isn't close enough to mortgage the future on a reliever, but they're close enough to not deal the veterans anyways, plus it's not like they aren't getting a good look at the few young players deserving of a look. I was a little surprised at Slowey not being dealt, especially after a very good start for Rochester.
Ugh.
As we were leaving Glenwood at about 3:15, FiL notices Front Passenger tire was flat. Reinflate, look for obvious stuff. Nothing. Decide to drive to Alexandria's Fleet Farm for repair. Hole was too close to the hub to be patched, needed a new tire. Got out of there at about 5:55. (Strolled around a bunch, bought snacks for dinner to eat in car.)
AJR's bedtime is around 7pm. Got home right after 8pm. House, which has no A/C, was in the mid-90s inside. (Pending thunderstorms, we only left a few windows open -- the four directly under eaves -- and not that wide.) EAR tried to put down AJR, while I, CER, and HPR unloaded.
FiL lent us two boxfans, so I got them set up sucking out the air, with the bedroom windows open. I know nothing of this box fan methodology, so I just went with what the iLs told me.
HPR fell asleep as soon as I told him to take off his pajama shirt (8:45ish). I hadn't even opened his window yet.
CER came downstairs for icewater, took a cool shower. Asleep by 9:30?
AJR finally stopped crying around 10:15.
I've been melting ice cubes on the top of my head. Thermostat reads 86. At what temperature do brains melt? I think it must be somewhere lower than that. I gotta be sure to go to work early tomorrow. They have A/C.
Our A/C seems to be kaputt (we've known this for almost a week). The compressor works, but there is no way to keep it going. There's something wrong with the electrical, and our HVAC guy, who states "100% guaranteed" gave up, because he's done everything he can come up with. (He only charged us for labor on the first repair, after that it was only for any parts.) If the A/C needs replacing, we really should replace the whole HVAC system (which is still causing some symptoms related to the spring's mold problems in EAR). And we can't really afford that now.
Trying to sweat out the summer is hard when you come back late to a near-100 degree house and your brain starts dripping everywhere.
That sucks. I remember when our AC went out when Trey was a baby. We lucked out that a neighbor knew a handyman. He was really nice and only charged us parts, so we really lucked out in the end. However, our house was well into the 80s for the few days that it took to fix it. And this was despite our house being in an excellent location to keep cool. We have little direct sunlight that comes into our house, especially during the hottest parts of the day. We replaced the whole HVAC system a couple years later. We went bigger AC and more efficient and haven't regretted it. Our electricity bills have gone way down.
AMR - you should have walked a block north while waiting for your tire. I was slinging some ice cold ones last night.
Yeah, that would have been good for me, not so much for the pregnant wife or three little ones.
I agree with you, spooky. It's kind of sad, though. Here we are, with a team that still has a shot at the division but has obvious needs, and instead of hoping we'll make a positive move, the best we think we can hope for from our GM is that he doesn't do something really stupid.
Maybe he'll surprise us all with the steal of the century, but thus far, he hasn't done anything to prove to me that he understands the worth of major league players.
It doesn't look good. I look forward to refreshing my phone every 20 minutes hoping Smith didn't trade Span since the last time I looked at my phone. Wait, no I don't.
I just don't want to believe BS would create a massive CF hole while only picking up a guy who fits the most fickle of roles.
I'd have to think long and hard about continuing to cheer for a BS-run team.
From Craig Calcaterra
If Smith is able to get Lombardozzi I'll be less annoyed. I understand the team might feel like there is an OF logjam, but trading the really good defensive player who gets on base is not how I'd choose to deal with that logjam.
Lombardozzi has a half way decent minor league career. Over 4 seasons he has a 298/370/413 line. If he keeps Tolbort out of the line up, well, I don't know. I don't want to talk myself into this trade.
I'm just excited for a lineup of Butera at C, Lomardozzi at 2b, and Tody Gardenhire at SS. You know it will happen!
Jake Mauer coaching at 3B, too.
from one random Nationals fan who put some thought in to it
"Revere will likely be as good or better than Span?"
Yeah, he put some thought into it...
I just want today to end, that's all.
The deadline's midnight, but in what time zone?
Edit: Oh, right, they don't do the midnight thing anymore. 4pm eastern?! That's so soon. I'm way more nervous now.
9:43am Kirkjian via MLBTR: Chances less than 50-50.
you know who is the newest addition to people denard span is following on twitter? @DrewStoren
Presented without comment.
Presented with comment:
.286/.355/.356 -- Denard Span, minor leagues
.299/.371/.414 -- Lombo Jr., minor leagues
If Lombo Jr.'s ceiling is future utility guy, what was Span's ceiling? If on-base ability at the top of the order is what we're looking for, it at least seems within the realm of possibility that Lombo Jr. could provide that. Would there be risk involved? Sure. But I don't think Law has solid enough scouting info to totally discredit Lombo Jr. like that at this point.
Here's another comparison:
.289/.358/.436 -- Orlando Hudson, minor leagues
.299/.371/.414 -- Lombo Jr., minor leagues
I mean, how much would you complain about this trade if it turned out to be Span for a young Eddie Guardado (decent closer but not as good as, say, Nathan has been), a young Orlando Hudson (solid league-average second baseman), and a young Dustin Mohr (part-time corner outfielder)? Much as I like Span, I wouldn't mind that trade a bit.
If anything, it's absolutely hilarious for Law to make a comment like this regarding a potential Denard Span trade. How often was Span totally dismissed by pundits as a prospect? The situation also involves Revere, who was supposed to flame out in A-ball, if I remember the draft day histrionics correctly.
This is, of course, why I presented it without comment. I don't know enough about some of the names getting tossed around, and I don't have the time today to look any of them up.
Thank you for clearing things up, as always, Ubes.
No worries. And I don't intend to paint a picture of Storen/LomboJr/whatever as the next great trade haul, it just irks me when guys like Law act as though they know a player's future with such confidence. Span's a good player, but especially given the concussion issues, his career could go Koskie on us sooner rather than later. Storen and Lombo Jr. could be pretty good plaeyrs, or they could totally flop, or they could have troubles with injury and not play a lot. That's one reason I more or less can't stand judging trades solely based on how players played after they were traded. Nathan/Liriano/Bonser turned out to be a better group of players than Gomez/Guerra/Humber, but it's not like that was obviously going to be the case.
I legitimately wonder if Law's painting Lombo Jr. as a guy with a utility ceiling because of his name.
If that's the case, then I'm painting a jail cell ceiling for Law.
I think we can start coming back from the ledge. Odds less that under 50% of deal happening.
There's a 52% chance we can back off from the ledge.
I just bought myself and my daughter SPAN 2 shirts. I want him to stay with the team long-term.
I haven't been around much becuz I'm up at my in-laws' for Waterama, and one of my SiLs has been sleeping in the computer room, and when everyone else is awake, my wife gives me dirty looks if I've been at the computer for more than 5 mins straight.
More than five minutes straight? EAR would hate me.
Of course, I'm a writer. Maybe that's what grants me reprieve from the Milkmaid's wrath.
And on that theme, where is everyone? Has bS been gone a long time (by his standards)? meat? I know a couple others had been taking the bar, but it seems like the fort's been held down by fewer dudes than usual.
If meat doesn't get back soon, I might have to take it upon myself to do a pork post. (had a good one last night.)
As long as we don't have to look at a Beau pork post.
There's the "pork" joke I was looking for
I've been busy with the sweet corn harvest, plus trying to come up with an idea for a really hard challenge. But, yeah, bS has been AWOL for a while now. At least the bots are still hanging around.
When bS asked for someone to pinch hit for him (tomorrow's game log plus First Monday Book Day) it made it sound like he would be getting in late tonight. So, I expect we'll see Doc back around these parts tomorrow or the next day.
And on that theme, where is everyone?
I'm in the motherland working on an ancient computer with crappy internets. Pork and beans will be up today. Well, maybe.
Well, we're at her parents' house for family time, and I do often use the computer to retreat from any socialization. Right now, everyone's outside in the heat. I just put the 16-month-old down for her nap and I'm taking in the A/C whilst I can.
There are Mirror Pond IPAs in the cooler outside, and some Breckenridge Vanilla Porters. So I may have to talk to people again.
(FiL took me to a new liquor store 10 miles out of town called "County Line Liquor", at least twice the selection of Glenwood's only in-town store, "The Grog Shop".)
Ah, the Grog Shop. Been there a few times.
Fifteen minutes and EAR just came in asking if I could come outside and actually be with people. I doubt I'll be back until I'm back in the twin cities. L8r.
Mirror Pond IPA? Does that actually exist separate from Mirror Pond PA?
Near as I can tell, there is only one Mirror Pond. (Their IPA is the Inversion, if I'm not mistaken.)
Right. I wondered why there would be a Mirror Pond IPA in addition to Inversion.
Course, you get out west and there's such little distinction between the two styles, they may as well both be called IPA.
Yeah. When I run into a non-hoptastic PA out here, I'm surprised.
At some point, you crazy west coasters are just going to make every style the same as an IPA.
(To the tune of LMFAO's Shots) Hops! Hops! Hops! Hops! Hops! Hops! Hops! Hops! Hops! Hops! Hops! Hops! Hops! Hops! Hops!
Ahahahahaha
Dude, even our ambers are pretty hoppy.
In Arizona, a similar principle applies to restaurant food. The Milkmaid and I took the kids to Red Robin a few days ago, and we both got our usual, but the Milkmaid couldn't eat it because it was so spicy it was burning her mouth.
Look for the Nimbus brews out of Tucson. I'm a fan of the Old Monkey Shine (I have a feeling our friend from buffalo would really appreciate their take on the english style).
If Nimbus products are here in town, I haven't spotted them. The most convenient place for me to buy brew thus far seems to have a pretty cruddy selection (or, rather, it's got some good ones but for me they're the same old, same old).
Anyway, I'll look for them.
Sorry, Mirror Pond Pale Ale. Wasn't thinking whilst typing.
I bought it becuz I seemed to remember you liked it.
You remember correctly. Big fan.
Alright, I can get a little zany when it comes to these trade rumors. If the Twins are serious about trading Span for Storen (+ other stuff) today, which I am terrified they are, I have been looking around the mlb for possible ancillary moves. Here is the best I can come up with.
Marlon Byrd for Kevin Slowey.
Byrd makes 5.5 (pro rated) this season and 6.5 million in 2012. The Twins want to move Slowey and are going to need someone in the outfield who plays passable defense (-.8 UZR/150), the Cubs need pitching help and Slowey is a proven start who could thrive in the NL.
This keeps the Twins in the AL Central hunt while building for the future.
I can't believe have gotten to the point where I am coming up with ways to justify trading Denard Span for a relief pitcher by using the acquisition of Marlon Byrd. Someone tell me this is an awful idea.
The end of the trade deadline can't come soon enough.
Trading Slowey for a guy who will be 34 next season would probably make me angrier than Span for Storen and Lombo Jr. I know the club has gutted his value, but I'd rather they try to get someone who has struggled but is young and cheap (Dexter Fowler, who is turning into the new Ian Stewart in Denver) than someone who will be old and likely not worth his contract next year.
Thanks, I needed that.
I needed it as much as you. If I were Smith I'd have already been selling, but I guess my pessimism about this season even has its limits. That's comforting to know.
I'm hoping if I head out to the ball game today and don't listen to or pay attention to any sort of MLB news, this whole thing will blow over and I'll come home tonight with no memory of any of these rumors.
I wouldn't mind the memory of the rumors. I'd like to look back on this and laugh...
Pirates interested in Jason Kubel. Maybe. Even though the two teams aren't talking about it. There's a reason the site is MLBtraderumors, I guess.
Yeah, I don't touch that stuff. I'm sure every team is interested in a lot of things, just like I'm interested in selling my script in the next 24 hours.
I'm interested in selling my house. Your script for my house?
How is this deal not already done? Make it happen, KW.
I can see what you're saying. Spooky's script is a work in progress, but with a lot of upside. It could be the next "Good Will Hunting," or it could be gutted and grafted onto "Transformers 4" as a trivial but humorous side story. Beau's house is probably 36 years old (if we can believe the records) and doesn't stand out much in a market filled with similar properties.
At the same time, Beau's house is a replacement-level major-league-level shelter, and the current value of that should not be underestimated. If spooky's script does win an Oscar, he might feel bad for not making the trade, but the odds of that are low, and he'll still have a roof over his head.
The drama of the trade deadline truly is the stuff of legends.
If a comedy about a guy who dies over an over can win an Oscar regardless of the writer's skill or place in Hollywood, I'd be surprised.
Any chance you're a former stripper and City Pages scribe, and have Jason Reitman attached to direct?
She and I know a few of the same people. That's a contact I should probably make one of these days.
I only remember one of her City Pages articles. It was a review of the second season of Project Runway, and an effusive praise of Santino Rice, which matched my feelings on the program to that point, as well. I made it a point to read the rest of her articles. But there weren't that many more after that point. Juno began shooting about a year later.
Sources close to me indicate I might be willing to listen to offers on my 300,000-mile Volvo station wagon.
Sources say the Calf is considered a franchise player and isn't moving.
I've already agreed to a trade in principle with my sister and Future BiL for Omar
Man, Mitch Williams is a dofus.
Certainly, but why this time?
Are you watching mlb network? It never stops.
I mind him less than Dan Plesac, but it's a matter of degrees. Seems to me that, if you're looking for a good baseball analyst, a relief pitcher is the last guy you'd have on your list. And MLBN has two of them.
I could be, as long as it's streaming on MLB.com right now. If he's the featured guy, though, I might want to stay away.
He actually strikes me as a good guy and he's fairly level-headed, but he's so traditional and so often off the mark. Billy Ripken, though, is way worse. He fervently argues in favor of the Win being the main tool in choosing Cy winners and whatnot, and it's clear he can't separate the Win from the win.
Apparently the Clevelands are going after Ryan Ludwick now. What do they have left for bait?
Ubaldo
If we end up with Lombo, Jr. the one consolation is how Dazzle will feel about it.
Verlander is dealing. No hits through seven.
lets trade Kevin Slowey and Delmon Young for him!
Unfortunately, that sounds like a trade that we'd be on the other side of.
If Verlander can retire the last six batters in order, Tee-Nuts will be the last out.
Joe C:
I think Dino is a terrific player and I will really bummed if this goes down.
I'm pretty bummed to hear Span so reluctant to play in a corner spot. That's a lot less disruptive a position change than it is for, say, a starting pitcher to have to move to the bullpen. Rickey Henderson made a pretty good career out of playing LF and leading off, for instance. Ichiro's won a boatload of Gold Gloves from RF. There's not really any shame in a corner outfield spot. I haven't gotten to see Span or Revere in any significant way this year, but Gardy will have more options if he can move Span to a corner, and a more flexible roster, by and large, is a better roster.
I think we're going to get pretty tired of watching guys tagging up from first on medium deep balls to CF, is all I'm going to say about Revere's arm.
I've generally thought arm strength is the least important tool, but there are limits to everything.
I remember watching live as Revere lobbed rainbows in from CF last fall - I'd absolutely prefer Span.
Deadline's passed. White-knuckling it for late announcements now.
Well, nothing happened. Yay?
Yay.
meh.
Nothing is better than anything, when Bill Smith is doing the anything.
And considering the rumors that were flying around, nothing is the best case scenario.
Span to be activated, Hughes sent down. Which means Revere is still on the team. I have to think he will get plenty of time in left. Revere and Span in left and right should be an awesome combination. Also, with Casilla hurt, Span and Revere at the top of the lineup could be fun to watch. Will it be Span then Revere or vice versa? I would go with Span first and then you can have Revere go for a bunch of bunt hits. It may not have been coincidence that Cuddyer started at second today. He may stay there and Delmon, Kubel and Thome could take care of RF/DH. Of course none of this matters if we can't start getting some decent starting pitching. We gave up 20 runs in three games to the A's. That's beyond awful. The A's announcers were talking about a lot of the hitters being hot, but that offense is still awful. Meanwhile, Slowey threw eight dominant innings in AAA the other day.
Whoops, Cuddyer is normally the first baseman right now. Maybe Kubel can take grounders at first base so Delmon can play right and Thome can DH. I highly doubt Thome playing first, even just occasionally, is an option at this point in his career. And for the record, I don't blame the Twins for not doing anything at the trade deadline. This team isn't close enough to mortgage the future on a reliever, but they're close enough to not deal the veterans anyways, plus it's not like they aren't getting a good look at the few young players deserving of a look. I was a little surprised at Slowey not being dealt, especially after a very good start for Rochester.
Ugh.
As we were leaving Glenwood at about 3:15, FiL notices Front Passenger tire was flat. Reinflate, look for obvious stuff. Nothing. Decide to drive to Alexandria's Fleet Farm for repair. Hole was too close to the hub to be patched, needed a new tire. Got out of there at about 5:55. (Strolled around a bunch, bought snacks for dinner to eat in car.)
AJR's bedtime is around 7pm. Got home right after 8pm. House, which has no A/C, was in the mid-90s inside. (Pending thunderstorms, we only left a few windows open -- the four directly under eaves -- and not that wide.) EAR tried to put down AJR, while I, CER, and HPR unloaded.
FiL lent us two boxfans, so I got them set up sucking out the air, with the bedroom windows open. I know nothing of this box fan methodology, so I just went with what the iLs told me.
HPR fell asleep as soon as I told him to take off his pajama shirt (8:45ish). I hadn't even opened his window yet.
CER came downstairs for icewater, took a cool shower. Asleep by 9:30?
AJR finally stopped crying around 10:15.
I've been melting ice cubes on the top of my head. Thermostat reads 86. At what temperature do brains melt? I think it must be somewhere lower than that. I gotta be sure to go to work early tomorrow. They have A/C.
Our A/C seems to be kaputt (we've known this for almost a week). The compressor works, but there is no way to keep it going. There's something wrong with the electrical, and our HVAC guy, who states "100% guaranteed" gave up, because he's done everything he can come up with. (He only charged us for labor on the first repair, after that it was only for any parts.) If the A/C needs replacing, we really should replace the whole HVAC system (which is still causing some symptoms related to the spring's mold problems in EAR). And we can't really afford that now.
Trying to sweat out the summer is hard when you come back late to a near-100 degree house and your brain starts dripping everywhere.
That sucks. I remember when our AC went out when Trey was a baby. We lucked out that a neighbor knew a handyman. He was really nice and only charged us parts, so we really lucked out in the end. However, our house was well into the 80s for the few days that it took to fix it. And this was despite our house being in an excellent location to keep cool. We have little direct sunlight that comes into our house, especially during the hottest parts of the day. We replaced the whole HVAC system a couple years later. We went bigger AC and more efficient and haven't regretted it. Our electricity bills have gone way down.
AMR - you should have walked a block north while waiting for your tire. I was slinging some ice cold ones last night.
Yeah, that would have been good for me, not so much for the pregnant wife or three little ones.