Yeah, I saw that come through on RSS last night. Reading it, my mind came straight here.
That is fantastic. FB worthy!
You didn't like it on my FB yet.
The last panel is dead solid perfect.
I would link to the Buster Olney columns, but they are under the ESPN Insider label, so I will link to the Deadspin article talking about it How Much Will Mike Trout Get Paid?
On a side note, if you are a two sport athlete and you decide football is your career path you are crazy. I saw a 'debate' the other day because Jameis Winston wanted to play baseball and the conventional wisdom was 'he won the Heisman, he should play football' when baseball offers you guaranteed money and a less chance of having your brain turn to jello.
The caveat with baseball is you need to wait some number of years before your payday. The signing bonus in the NFL is guaranteed and it looks like high draft picks have signing bonuses over $10 million. The slot value for being first in MLB's draft was a bit under $8 million and it drops quickly.
You make a good point.
I just think that if you sign up for baseball (or even basketball) you have a better chance at seeing big money than being in the NFL, where contracts are not guaranteed , you can be cut at anytime, and you are just one misstep away from ending up paralyzed.
I'm thinking that a mere $2 million difference is an inadequate compensation for the near-certainty of sustaining brain trauma. But I'm not in my early twenties anymore. Even $2 million would make my family pretty secure for the rest of my life, but I'd rather be financially insecure and still able to think straight in my sixties (assuming I make it that far) than not be able to enjoy the huge pile of money I made because I had turned my brain into malt-o-meal in the process of making it.
I think the difference is probably closer to $5 million or more. The #1 pick in the 2013 NFL draft had a signing bonus of $14.5 million. #1 in MLB draft signed for $6.35 million, although that's about $1.4 million less than slot. At the bottom end though, MLB's slot value drops below $1 million at pick 56 while the NFL dropped below $1 million at pick 55. So, if you're confident you'll be drafted in the top 20 in the NFL, you'll make more money now. After pick 54 (the two are almost identical), it favors MLB.
I'm not sure I believe anyone should think differently even if the difference is closer to $5 million than $2 million.
I'm thinking that a mere $2 million difference is an inadequate compensation for the near-certainty of sustaining brain trauma.
well, (a) trauma that has measurable, permanent effects is probabilistic, (b) opportunity costs! and (c) cultural brainwashing. Over and over again, we see that being an athlete is a huge part of the self-image/identity of so many young men. In my own minor case, I can attest that being a football player was an oversized part of my identity as a college freshman. Both playing, and then not playing due to getting hurt played a significant role in my academic problems that year. And I was merely a D-III player.
This past semester I've been doing a great deal of thinking about the things we ask young men – oversize boys, really – to do for us. Karl Marlantes has said it better than I will, but the male body at 18-24 years old is an astounding thing, and when properly conditioned, capable of just about anything we might imagine asking of it. At the same time, the more we discover through medical studies, the more we're aware that the brain doesn't reach maturity until age 25 or so. In that period of lag time between physical maturity and mental maturity, our society does an awful lot of coercing of young men. We ask them to play sports that will break down their bodies and injure their developing brains, for entertainment and for (mostly others') profit. We ask them to fight wars, or at least be willing to fight wars, before they have enough experience in the world to understand well enough what that might do to them. We tolerate industries that bombard them with role models that are themselves immature and corrosive. We know they're being given a toxic view of manhood and masculinity, but well, they're just boys. They'll have time to figure it out.
I'm not trying to pick on young men. I was one, too, and I remember the mistakes I made. I certainly wouldn't want my son or nephews to repeat those mistakes. It's going to take a long time to change the habits of a society that has so deeply integrated football into its culture. Some of it will come from fathers not letting their children play football. Some of it will have to come from fathers who explain to their children why it's unethical to watch others inflict damage upon their bodies and minds for entertainment.
Also, some football players, if they grew up in poverty, don't think they'll live to be 60 and helping their family NOW is more important than some unknown future.
I don't think very many young men of pro football draft age, regardless of their family's economic background, have yet experienced the mental development to contemplate life in their forties, much less in their sixties.
To your point, though, my hope is that young men in those situations have a family or community elder saying to them, "Be careful of what you're promised in return for putting your mind in peril." And I hope that, ten years from now, many of those young men are choosing to play baseball, basketball, or another sport instead of football.
I think of how much love guys like Earl Campbell and Craig "Ironhead" Heyward got for taking and administering punishment while running the football, while guys like Franco Harris and Robert Smith got crap for running out of bounds.
That is slowly changing. Very, very slowly.
But remember, this is a culture that has glorified other gladiatorial sports, such as the current fascination with MMA.
Yup, it's going to take generations to turn around. But we can do it – for our grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
We should all be optimists in the long-term.
Why? We'll all be dead.
mine was more elegant, boss.
You were certainly committed to the bit.
I get the gag, of course, but to answer seriously - for the exact reason that CH lists. Our progeny.
I give Robert Smith credit for ending his career when he was financially comfortable and still had his mind and body.
I do not give him credit for running out of bounds in a certain game against Atlanta where just falling to the ground would have been sufficient to burn the clock.
Plus years to keep at it even if you're not ever destined for greatness. (That could be a pro for some, a con for others.)
Especially with the possibility of playing in Japan or Korea or Australia or Mexico.
I am biased towards baseball already, so if I had different tastes on the aesthetics of those sports, I might come up with a decent defense of football. But it all seems so fleeting and cog-like.
Look at guys like Ron Mahay: 14 seasons, 8 bWAR (120 ERA+!), Probably $15M salary . If someone had applied similar about of skill above replacement to football on a similarly specific skill to LOOGYing, how long would that person play and how much would they make?
And this was a guy who wasn't in the union (replacement player) and missed out on any licensing revenue or anything else like that, which probably aren't all that material but would probably be a lot to me.
How about looking at Logan’s new contract like this: his 2014 salary with the Rockies will be slightly more than the combined salary figures of Jamaal Charles ($1.75 million); J.J. Watt ($1.4 million); Colin Kaepernick ($840,000), Richard Sherman ($550,000) and Russell Wilson ($526,000) made during the current NFL season.
That is misleading. All those players are still in their rookie contracts and doesn't include signing bonus.
The overall point is correct but I tune out once someone starts slanting the facts.
Ron Mahay isn't slanting the facts is he?
I think LOOGYs with an early year of success have the best chance of career longevity (and travel miles moving) of any "specialist" role in any pro sport I'm familiar with.
Kickers and Punters* can, but it's so much about recent performance, and a few misses in a row may see them out of football quickly.
*and Long Snappers? (Dang, a specialist even I'm not real familiar with)
I think kickers, punters and long snappers are all more valuable to a football team than a LOOGY is to a baseball team. Any major league pitcher can and should get a RH batter out most of the time even in critical situations. However, you can't just throw anyone out there to kick, punt or be a long snapper. These are underappreciated skills that aren't really recognized until the specialist player is hurt or otherwise available and then the team has to decide to not kick or punt or to try someone who doesn't have the special skill and training to do it.
I'm not convinced, socal. True, you can't just throw anyone out there to kick or punt. But there are only 64 kicker/punter NFL jobs, and hundreds who are eminently well trained to do those jobs by our fine institutions of higher education.
The quality of kicking has improved immensely over the years. Of the top 32 kickers in career FG % in NFL history, 23 are active and the other nine ended their careers between 2006 and 2012.
There is tremendous pressure on those 64 guys to perform or be replaced by the next guy. And there is always a next guy. So the wins above replacement kicker/punter have to be pretty small, even as the contributions of the active kickers are critically important to wins and losses.
Another way to see this is to look at draft position for active kickers and punters.
There are 20 kickers and 16 punters listed as "active" who were drafted.
A total of 33 kickers have been drafted since 2000 (inclusive): one in the first round (SeaBass, 2000, 17th), one in the second (Mike Nugent, 2005, 47th overall), one in the third (Nate Kaeding, 2004, 65th overall). The rest were 4th round or later.
A total of 28 punters have been drafted since 2000 (inclusive): none higher than the 3rd round -- Bryan Anger (2012, 70th overall); Dustin Colquitt (2005, 99th); B.J. Sander (2004, 87th).
This pretty clearly indicates the marginal value that teams place on a kicker or punter: there are lots of close substitutes available. Otherwise, the top kickers/punters would more often be picked high in the draft.
The top ten active scorers in the NFL are Vinatieri, Akers, Seabass, Jay Feely, Phil Dawson, Rian Lindell, Matt Bryant, Shayne Graham, Josh Brown, and Robbie Gould.
Vinateri was undrafted. Akers was undrafted. Janikowski was the 17th overall pick his year. Dawson was undrafted. Lindell was undrafted. Bryant was undrafted. Graham was undrafted. Brown was picked in the 7th round (222nd). Gould was undrafted.
I was referring to the quote about Boone Logan.
I was trying to see if Mahay would fall in the same category (slanted facts, probably due to survivor bias).
One week? I won't need one day. I haven't been working long enough to afford much in the way of presents, and most of the gifting this year will be in the form of auto maintenance/repair. All three vehicles need new tires, the Prizm needs struts all around and some exhaust work (Merry Christmas, Emily!), the truck needs a new clutch (Merry Christmas, Pam!) and the van needs rear brakes. I'm getting Meg a used laptop to replace her Thinkpad that died a couple of weeks ago, and we're getting a Blue-Ray player for the living room. Other than that and some stocking stuffers, there won't be a lot of presents given or received at our household. And I don't have a single problem with that. One of the best Christmas memories I have was from our first year together as husband and wife. We were living in Cedar Rapids, so poor we didn't have a pot to pitch pennies in, no family around and friends were all busy with their own nearby families. I worked a day shift on Christmas Eve and when I got home my wife had dinner ready - roast beef and all the trimmings. That day she had received our gift from my folks and set it up - a ceramic Nativity scene my mom had painted for us (all the kids got one that year). After dinner we went to church, then drove down to the Amana colonies and just idled around in the car looking at the pretty white houses in the fresh snow, each with a single candle lighting each window. It was so peaceful and beautiful. In the morning we exchanged our own meager gifts and made a big breakfast, then I went to work since I'd volunteered to produce the day's one news show so others could spend Christmas with their families. Yeah, that Christmas was kind of special, and presents had almost nothing to do with it.
Our best Christmas since getting married was our last Christmas in the old house. Snow/Ice storm precluded safe travel to my parents in NU, so we stayed home and went to evening mass at our regular church and then stopped at the CR Dam as it was snowing and walked from BP to CR and back under the streetlights, just the 4 1/2 of us (AJR born 3 mos later). We had stopped at Kramarczuk's for candies and sausage the morning of Christmas Eve and ate those and watched whichever Christmas movies were on Cable most of the day.
Yeah, that Christmas was kind of special, and presents had almost nothing to do with it.
I think you've hit the nail on the head as to why I love Thanksgiving and hate Christmas. I tell people stuff like that and keep getting asked if I hate getting presents, too. And yes, yes I do, dammit.
I love exchanging gifts with my parents. I like giving back to them, and they're going to continue giving me stuff anyway. I dislike exchanging gifts with my extended relatives (I have no idea what they want) or even closer relatives around my age (competition to not be outgifted by them). And my wife and I certainly don't exchange gifts, as it's just like taking money from one pocket and putting it in another. If we want to buy something for each other, we just do it no matter the occasion.
My parents are notorious for giving my CDs that they think I'd enjoy (The Three Tenors? Really?) etc, but they want to so whatever. I usually hand out UP's calendar as gifts -- who doesn't like beautiful photos of trains cruising through picturesque landscape?
Last Sunday afternoon, Runner daughter and her dog and I went to a nearby nursing home with several others and sang carols, and then the dog "visited" with residents while the singers went down the various hallways. You don't get to do that at Thanksgiving.
Well...
You can certainly visit nursing homes with dogs every day of the year!
It's going to happen more often.
One of the most rewarding things I do is visit at our local nursing home.
I would gladly take those calendars, and so would some kids I know.
(Of course, if that's all the kids got, they'd be bummed, but we've taught them enough manners to even put on a happy face about that.)
They're inexpensive enough to give to people such that they don't feel bad about not having a return gift, but just nice enough to be considered an okay gift as a return gift, which is just fine with me.
I always looked forward to Christmas eve, when my dad would come home late and toss me a butcher paper wrapped package of steaks.
#winning
#Butchdoingitright
I very much enjoy gift-giving, and sometimes feel awkward with gift-receiving (especially at the in-laws). The idea of finding something uniquely suited to the person I'm giving a gift to is something I really enjoy. With 13 kids (plus 7 spouses), we always just do a name-draw on my side of the family, so you get a chance to give one of your siblings something special. I love it. This year I'm getting my sister, who I talk to about cooking a lot, a couple little kitchen gadgets, a steeply discounted cook book, and I'm writing out a whole bunch of tips and tricks and favorite recipes I've picked up over the years. She's where I was 10 years ago, cooking-wise, so it's stuff I know will be perfect. Inexpensive and heartfelt. Perfect.
I got my new brother-in-law. I swapped with my wife last year to get him, and I'm out of ideas. Of course, he put down only one thing on his list.
Unless you can't afford it or don't know where/how to get it, I would think that would make it easy.
Handmade artwork from my sister-in-law.
I am not she, and I can't ask her because we're told not to tell and I got s#!+ for it last year.
I'd say buy some from her and don't tell her who it is for.
Well now Norwegian Wood*, she lives in Chicago but touched down at MSP tonight.
Where were you four weeks ago, SoCal?
I got my new brother-in-law. I swapped with my wife last year to get him, and I'm out of ideas.
I read this out of the context of the thread and found it...amusing.
yep, I'm right with you there
"Of course, he put down only one thing on his list."
I would also suggest a subscription to cooks illustrated for your sister.
Wait.. Kona Gold is a brand of coffee, too?
Nice. I was actually happy to see that one as I had some in Hawaii and really enjoyed it.
The coffee. I enjoyed the coffee.
Our best christmas/hanukkah was our first in Illinois. We drove back to Minny and spent christmas with my brother and his family. The plan was to spend new year's with my folks "up north, but it was 60 below and their septic system froze up. So we drove home. 9 months later, the Boy was born. 🙂
9 months later, the Boy was born.
I have to think getting that started took less than eight nights.
it was a Festivus Miracle.
I see Jeff Passan reporting Doumit to Atlanta on Twitter. Seems like any kind of positive return would be a bonus. He's not a bad player necessarily, but I can't get excited about him, either.
similar minor league numbers at a younger age, so I can see that. The big difference is Gilmartin is a former late first-round pick from FSU while Diamond was never drafted.
not that it matters a whole lot, but this is cool too
Darren Wolfson @DarrenWolfson
Confirmed: #Braves taking all of Doumit's $3.5M. This is a great move by the #MNTwins.
I'm just impressed TR managed to trade him. Not a bad offensive player (especially if the manager is willing to platoon him), but I'm glad I won't have to watch him playing defense again.
Wren calls Doumit "almost two players in one." He's almost a catcher, almost an outfielder ...
I'm guessing AAMMRR is pleased because this certainly means a heavy dose of HHEERRMMAANN.
The offseason isn't over yet. That clears $3.5M off the books and a 40-man roster spot, assuming Gilmartin doesn't have to go on it (His first season was just in 2011, so he shouldn't). This could be the way the Twins are making way for signing a catcher, probably Kurt Suzuki or John Buck. I can't imagine the Twins going without a veteran catcher on the roster to at least back up Pinto.
I think Pelfrey will take the place of Doumit on the 40 man.
"taking the place of" being a loose term
AMR's head might explode if future MVP John Buck dons the Twins uniform.
John Buck John Buck John Buck John Buck John Buck John Buck John Buck John Buck John Buck John Buck John Buck John Buck
We'll see you ... oh wait, wrong one.
Hey! That was my joke a couple weeks ago!
Imitation is the highest form of flattery.
Guessing I didn't get it then.
Also, "Future MVP" is not what I said.
I said he was worthy of downballot MVP votes for putting up with the Omaha/Wichita Turnstyle rotation which included 17 different starters (in one year! I don't feel like finding out how many there were over his six years) while not running away with Grienke.
We all know what you really said, no matter what the actual evidence in the archives might indicate.
The O's signed Grant Balfour for 2/$15M, which means instead of keeping Jim Johnson and paying him about $10M (expected arbitration) for 1 season, they traded Johnson to the A's for Jemile Weeks and another player and could sign the A's former closer for 25% less. Is Johnson that much better than Balfour? I think the O's definitely got the best of the A's in this scenario.
Baltimore also traded all their swag (Valencia) to the Royals.
Yea, that was an interesting turn of events.
As I've mentioned here before, the A's have two young, cheap flamethrowers who would seem to be ready to step up into the closer role already, in Ryan Cook (27, righty, pre-arb year three in 2014) and Sean Doolittle (27, lefty, pre-arb year 2 in 2014). So the Johnson trade seemed weird to begin with.
Age maybe? Balfour is five years older. The A's might feel that Balfour has a greater chance of collapsing next year than Johnson.
age certainly. But again, why not go with Cook and Doolittle? What's the value added by tying up another roster spot (and that much cash) with Johnson? Seems like they could have done better spending that money upgrading at 2nd base or RF.
Beane had $10 million leftover perhaps? And really wanted another reliever.
not spending your last $10m on a (largely) redundant reliever doesn't strike me as the new market inefficiency.
We didn't write the book on baseball inefficiencies.
It isn't? This is why I'm not in charge of baseball operations.
"GMAMR, It's good to have depth, but don't you think 8 Lefty Relievers Pitchers and 5 backup catchers is too much?"
"That gives us room for 3 starters, one Righty reliever, and 8 other position players. My New Ulm Math tells me that's enough players for a team. I'll use Chris Herrmann as DH when he's not behind the dish and play the hot hand among the other four when he is."
Next year Beane will trade Johnson to the Twins for Pinto.
I recommended Black Dynamite to my uncle, and he watched it today. Of course, he loved it.
I say I'd like to try this, when in all actuality the fact I'd shit my pants would probably make me much less aerodynamic.
But still, how cool is some of the stuff people do?
Word to the wise: if you like Dr. Pepper, you will probably enjoy Sam Adams Cherry Chocolate Bock.
Labron James gets away with a foul on Paul George at the end of the game. ESPN squawkers says because its the end of the game, the refs wont make that call. Of course.
Uh oh, wrong category.
You're presuming I do any shopping...
The mlb.com winter baseball page is acting wonky again. We'll do the best we can.
Today's XKCD seems particuarly appropriate for around here.
Yeah, I saw that come through on RSS last night. Reading it, my mind came straight here.
That is fantastic. FB worthy!
You didn't like it on my FB yet.
The last panel is dead solid perfect.
I would link to the Buster Olney columns, but they are under the ESPN Insider label, so I will link to the Deadspin article talking about it How Much Will Mike Trout Get Paid?
On a side note, if you are a two sport athlete and you decide football is your career path you are crazy. I saw a 'debate' the other day because Jameis Winston wanted to play baseball and the conventional wisdom was 'he won the Heisman, he should play football' when baseball offers you guaranteed money and a less chance of having your brain turn to jello.
The caveat with baseball is you need to wait some number of years before your payday. The signing bonus in the NFL is guaranteed and it looks like high draft picks have signing bonuses over $10 million. The slot value for being first in MLB's draft was a bit under $8 million and it drops quickly.
You make a good point.
I just think that if you sign up for baseball (or even basketball) you have a better chance at seeing big money than being in the NFL, where contracts are not guaranteed , you can be cut at anytime, and you are just one misstep away from ending up paralyzed.
I'm thinking that a mere $2 million difference is an inadequate compensation for the near-certainty of sustaining brain trauma. But I'm not in my early twenties anymore. Even $2 million would make my family pretty secure for the rest of my life, but I'd rather be financially insecure and still able to think straight in my sixties (assuming I make it that far) than not be able to enjoy the huge pile of money I made because I had turned my brain into malt-o-meal in the process of making it.
I think the difference is probably closer to $5 million or more. The #1 pick in the 2013 NFL draft had a signing bonus of $14.5 million. #1 in MLB draft signed for $6.35 million, although that's about $1.4 million less than slot. At the bottom end though, MLB's slot value drops below $1 million at pick 56 while the NFL dropped below $1 million at pick 55. So, if you're confident you'll be drafted in the top 20 in the NFL, you'll make more money now. After pick 54 (the two are almost identical), it favors MLB.
I'm not sure I believe anyone should think differently even if the difference is closer to $5 million than $2 million.
well, (a) trauma that has measurable, permanent effects is probabilistic, (b) opportunity costs! and (c) cultural brainwashing. Over and over again, we see that being an athlete is a huge part of the self-image/identity of so many young men. In my own minor case, I can attest that being a football player was an oversized part of my identity as a college freshman. Both playing, and then not playing due to getting hurt played a significant role in my academic problems that year. And I was merely a D-III player.
This past semester I've been doing a great deal of thinking about the things we ask young men – oversize boys, really – to do for us. Karl Marlantes has said it better than I will, but the male body at 18-24 years old is an astounding thing, and when properly conditioned, capable of just about anything we might imagine asking of it. At the same time, the more we discover through medical studies, the more we're aware that the brain doesn't reach maturity until age 25 or so. In that period of lag time between physical maturity and mental maturity, our society does an awful lot of coercing of young men. We ask them to play sports that will break down their bodies and injure their developing brains, for entertainment and for (mostly others') profit. We ask them to fight wars, or at least be willing to fight wars, before they have enough experience in the world to understand well enough what that might do to them. We tolerate industries that bombard them with role models that are themselves immature and corrosive. We know they're being given a toxic view of manhood and masculinity, but well, they're just boys. They'll have time to figure it out.
I'm not trying to pick on young men. I was one, too, and I remember the mistakes I made. I certainly wouldn't want my son or nephews to repeat those mistakes. It's going to take a long time to change the habits of a society that has so deeply integrated football into its culture. Some of it will come from fathers not letting their children play football. Some of it will have to come from fathers who explain to their children why it's unethical to watch others inflict damage upon their bodies and minds for entertainment.
Also, some football players, if they grew up in poverty, don't think they'll live to be 60 and helping their family NOW is more important than some unknown future.
I don't think very many young men of pro football draft age, regardless of their family's economic background, have yet experienced the mental development to contemplate life in their forties, much less in their sixties.
To your point, though, my hope is that young men in those situations have a family or community elder saying to them, "Be careful of what you're promised in return for putting your mind in peril." And I hope that, ten years from now, many of those young men are choosing to play baseball, basketball, or another sport instead of football.
I think of how much love guys like Earl Campbell and Craig "Ironhead" Heyward got for taking and administering punishment while running the football, while guys like Franco Harris and Robert Smith got crap for running out of bounds.
That is slowly changing. Very, very slowly.
But remember, this is a culture that has glorified other gladiatorial sports, such as the current fascination with MMA.
Yup, it's going to take generations to turn around. But we can do it – for our grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
We should all be optimists in the long-term.
Why? We'll all be dead.
mine was more elegant, boss.
You were certainly committed to the bit.
I get the gag, of course, but to answer seriously - for the exact reason that CH lists. Our progeny.
I give Robert Smith credit for ending his career when he was financially comfortable and still had his mind and body.
I do not give him credit for running out of bounds in a certain game against Atlanta where just falling to the ground would have been sufficient to burn the clock.
Plus years to keep at it even if you're not ever destined for greatness. (That could be a pro for some, a con for others.)
Especially with the possibility of playing in Japan or Korea or Australia or Mexico.
I am biased towards baseball already, so if I had different tastes on the aesthetics of those sports, I might come up with a decent defense of football. But it all seems so fleeting and cog-like.
Look at guys like Ron Mahay: 14 seasons, 8 bWAR (120 ERA+!), Probably $15M salary . If someone had applied similar about of skill above replacement to football on a similarly specific skill to LOOGYing, how long would that person play and how much would they make?
And this was a guy who wasn't in the union (replacement player) and missed out on any licensing revenue or anything else like that, which probably aren't all that material but would probably be a lot to me.
The Rockies are paying Boone Logan $5.5 mil/yr for the next three years .
That is misleading. All those players are still in their rookie contracts and doesn't include signing bonus.
The overall point is correct but I tune out once someone starts slanting the facts.
Ron Mahay isn't slanting the facts is he?
I think LOOGYs with an early year of success have the best chance of career longevity (and travel miles moving) of any "specialist" role in any pro sport I'm familiar with.
Kickers and Punters* can, but it's so much about recent performance, and a few misses in a row may see them out of football quickly.
*and Long Snappers? (Dang, a specialist even I'm not real familiar with)
I think kickers, punters and long snappers are all more valuable to a football team than a LOOGY is to a baseball team. Any major league pitcher can and should get a RH batter out most of the time even in critical situations. However, you can't just throw anyone out there to kick, punt or be a long snapper. These are underappreciated skills that aren't really recognized until the specialist player is hurt or otherwise available and then the team has to decide to not kick or punt or to try someone who doesn't have the special skill and training to do it.
I'm not convinced, socal. True, you can't just throw anyone out there to kick or punt. But there are only 64 kicker/punter NFL jobs, and hundreds who are eminently well trained to do those jobs by our fine institutions of higher education.
The quality of kicking has improved immensely over the years. Of the top 32 kickers in career FG % in NFL history, 23 are active and the other nine ended their careers between 2006 and 2012.
There is tremendous pressure on those 64 guys to perform or be replaced by the next guy. And there is always a next guy. So the wins above replacement kicker/punter have to be pretty small, even as the contributions of the active kickers are critically important to wins and losses.
Another way to see this is to look at draft position for active kickers and punters.
There are 20 kickers and 16 punters listed as "active" who were drafted.
A total of 33 kickers have been drafted since 2000 (inclusive): one in the first round (SeaBass, 2000, 17th), one in the second (Mike Nugent, 2005, 47th overall), one in the third (Nate Kaeding, 2004, 65th overall). The rest were 4th round or later.
A total of 28 punters have been drafted since 2000 (inclusive): none higher than the 3rd round -- Bryan Anger (2012, 70th overall); Dustin Colquitt (2005, 99th); B.J. Sander (2004, 87th).
This pretty clearly indicates the marginal value that teams place on a kicker or punter: there are lots of close substitutes available. Otherwise, the top kickers/punters would more often be picked high in the draft.
The top ten active scorers in the NFL are Vinatieri, Akers, Seabass, Jay Feely, Phil Dawson, Rian Lindell, Matt Bryant, Shayne Graham, Josh Brown, and Robbie Gould.
Vinateri was undrafted. Akers was undrafted. Janikowski was the 17th overall pick his year. Dawson was undrafted. Lindell was undrafted. Bryant was undrafted. Graham was undrafted. Brown was picked in the 7th round (222nd). Gould was undrafted.
I was referring to the quote about Boone Logan.
I was trying to see if Mahay would fall in the same category (slanted facts, probably due to survivor bias).
Bootsy Collins made a Peyton Manning Christmas song
One week? I won't need one day. I haven't been working long enough to afford much in the way of presents, and most of the gifting this year will be in the form of auto maintenance/repair. All three vehicles need new tires, the Prizm needs struts all around and some exhaust work (Merry Christmas, Emily!), the truck needs a new clutch (Merry Christmas, Pam!) and the van needs rear brakes. I'm getting Meg a used laptop to replace her Thinkpad that died a couple of weeks ago, and we're getting a Blue-Ray player for the living room. Other than that and some stocking stuffers, there won't be a lot of presents given or received at our household. And I don't have a single problem with that. One of the best Christmas memories I have was from our first year together as husband and wife. We were living in Cedar Rapids, so poor we didn't have a pot to pitch pennies in, no family around and friends were all busy with their own nearby families. I worked a day shift on Christmas Eve and when I got home my wife had dinner ready - roast beef and all the trimmings. That day she had received our gift from my folks and set it up - a ceramic Nativity scene my mom had painted for us (all the kids got one that year). After dinner we went to church, then drove down to the Amana colonies and just idled around in the car looking at the pretty white houses in the fresh snow, each with a single candle lighting each window. It was so peaceful and beautiful. In the morning we exchanged our own meager gifts and made a big breakfast, then I went to work since I'd volunteered to produce the day's one news show so others could spend Christmas with their families. Yeah, that Christmas was kind of special, and presents had almost nothing to do with it.
Our best Christmas since getting married was our last Christmas in the old house. Snow/Ice storm precluded safe travel to my parents in NU, so we stayed home and went to evening mass at our regular church and then stopped at the CR Dam as it was snowing and walked from BP to CR and back under the streetlights, just the 4 1/2 of us (AJR born 3 mos later). We had stopped at Kramarczuk's for candies and sausage the morning of Christmas Eve and ate those and watched whichever Christmas movies were on Cable most of the day.
I think you've hit the nail on the head as to why I love Thanksgiving and hate Christmas. I tell people stuff like that and keep getting asked if I hate getting presents, too. And yes, yes I do, dammit.
I love exchanging gifts with my parents. I like giving back to them, and they're going to continue giving me stuff anyway. I dislike exchanging gifts with my extended relatives (I have no idea what they want) or even closer relatives around my age (competition to not be outgifted by them). And my wife and I certainly don't exchange gifts, as it's just like taking money from one pocket and putting it in another. If we want to buy something for each other, we just do it no matter the occasion.
My parents are notorious for giving my CDs that they think I'd enjoy (The Three Tenors? Really?) etc, but they want to so whatever. I usually hand out UP's calendar as gifts -- who doesn't like beautiful photos of trains cruising through picturesque landscape?
Last Sunday afternoon, Runner daughter and her dog and I went to a nearby nursing home with several others and sang carols, and then the dog "visited" with residents while the singers went down the various hallways. You don't get to do that at Thanksgiving.
Well...
You can certainly visit nursing homes with dogs every day of the year!
It's going to happen more often.
One of the most rewarding things I do is visit at our local nursing home.
I would gladly take those calendars, and so would some kids I know.
(Of course, if that's all the kids got, they'd be bummed, but we've taught them enough manners to even put on a happy face about that.)
They're inexpensive enough to give to people such that they don't feel bad about not having a return gift, but just nice enough to be considered an okay gift as a return gift, which is just fine with me.
I always looked forward to Christmas eve, when my dad would come home late and toss me a butcher paper wrapped package of steaks.
#winning
#Butchdoingitright
I very much enjoy gift-giving, and sometimes feel awkward with gift-receiving (especially at the in-laws). The idea of finding something uniquely suited to the person I'm giving a gift to is something I really enjoy. With 13 kids (plus 7 spouses), we always just do a name-draw on my side of the family, so you get a chance to give one of your siblings something special. I love it. This year I'm getting my sister, who I talk to about cooking a lot, a couple little kitchen gadgets, a steeply discounted cook book, and I'm writing out a whole bunch of tips and tricks and favorite recipes I've picked up over the years. She's where I was 10 years ago, cooking-wise, so it's stuff I know will be perfect. Inexpensive and heartfelt. Perfect.
I got my new brother-in-law. I swapped with my wife last year to get him, and I'm out of ideas. Of course, he put down only one thing on his list.
Unless you can't afford it or don't know where/how to get it, I would think that would make it easy.
Handmade artwork from my sister-in-law.
I am not she, and I can't ask her because we're told not to tell and I got s#!+ for it last year.
I'd say buy some from her and don't tell her who it is for.
Well now Norwegian Wood*, she lives in Chicago but touched down at MSP tonight.
Where were you four weeks ago, SoCal?
I read this out of the context of the thread and found it...amusing.
yep, I'm right with you there
"Of course, he put down only one thing on his list."
I would also suggest a subscription to cooks illustrated for your sister.
Wait.. Kona Gold is a brand of coffee, too?
Nice. I was actually happy to see that one as I had some in Hawaii and really enjoyed it.
The coffee. I enjoyed the coffee.
Our best christmas/hanukkah was our first in Illinois. We drove back to Minny and spent christmas with my brother and his family. The plan was to spend new year's with my folks "up north, but it was 60 below and their septic system froze up. So we drove home. 9 months later, the Boy was born. 🙂
I have to think getting that started took less than eight nights.
it was a Festivus Miracle.
I see Jeff Passan reporting Doumit to Atlanta on Twitter. Seems like any kind of positive return would be a bonus. He's not a bad player necessarily, but I can't get excited about him, either.
MLBTR reports for Sean Gilmartin.
First take: a younger version of Scott Diamond.
similar minor league numbers at a younger age, so I can see that. The big difference is Gilmartin is a former late first-round pick from FSU while Diamond was never drafted.
not that it matters a whole lot, but this is cool too
I'm just impressed TR managed to trade him. Not a bad offensive player (especially if the manager is willing to platoon him), but I'm glad I won't have to watch him playing defense again.
dude was on fire today:
That's a perfect description.
I'm guessing AAMMRR is pleased because this certainly means a heavy dose of HHEERRMMAANN.
The offseason isn't over yet. That clears $3.5M off the books and a 40-man roster spot, assuming Gilmartin doesn't have to go on it (His first season was just in 2011, so he shouldn't). This could be the way the Twins are making way for signing a catcher, probably Kurt Suzuki or John Buck. I can't imagine the Twins going without a veteran catcher on the roster to at least back up Pinto.
I think Pelfrey will take the place of Doumit on the 40 man.
"taking the place of" being a loose term
AMR's head might explode if future MVP John Buck dons the Twins uniform.
John Buck John Buck John Buck John Buck John Buck John Buck John Buck John Buck John Buck John Buck John Buck John Buck
We'll see you ... oh wait, wrong one.
Hey! That was my joke a couple weeks ago!
Imitation is the highest form of flattery.
Guessing I didn't get it then.
Also, "Future MVP" is not what I said.
I said he was worthy of downballot MVP votes for putting up with the Omaha/Wichita Turnstyle rotation which included 17 different starters (in one year! I don't feel like finding out how many there were over his six years) while not running away with Grienke.
We all know what you really said, no matter what the actual evidence in the archives might indicate.
The O's signed Grant Balfour for 2/$15M, which means instead of keeping Jim Johnson and paying him about $10M (expected arbitration) for 1 season, they traded Johnson to the A's for Jemile Weeks and another player and could sign the A's former closer for 25% less. Is Johnson that much better than Balfour? I think the O's definitely got the best of the A's in this scenario.
Baltimore also traded all their swag (Valencia) to the Royals.
Yea, that was an interesting turn of events.
As I've mentioned here before, the A's have two young, cheap flamethrowers who would seem to be ready to step up into the closer role already, in Ryan Cook (27, righty, pre-arb year three in 2014) and Sean Doolittle (27, lefty, pre-arb year 2 in 2014). So the Johnson trade seemed weird to begin with.
Age maybe? Balfour is five years older. The A's might feel that Balfour has a greater chance of collapsing next year than Johnson.
age certainly. But again, why not go with Cook and Doolittle? What's the value added by tying up another roster spot (and that much cash) with Johnson? Seems like they could have done better spending that money upgrading at 2nd base or RF.
Beane had $10 million leftover perhaps? And really wanted another reliever.
not spending your last $10m on a (largely) redundant reliever doesn't strike me as the new market inefficiency.
We didn't write the book on baseball inefficiencies.
It isn't? This is why I'm not in charge of baseball operations.
"GMAMR, It's good to have depth, but don't you think 8 Lefty Relievers Pitchers and 5 backup catchers is too much?"
"That gives us room for 3 starters, one Righty reliever, and 8 other position players. My New Ulm Math tells me that's enough players for a team. I'll use Chris Herrmann as DH when he's not behind the dish and play the hot hand among the other four when he is."
Next year Beane will trade Johnson to the Twins for Pinto.
I recommended Black Dynamite to my uncle, and he watched it today. Of course, he loved it.
I say I'd like to try this, when in all actuality the fact I'd shit my pants would probably make me much less aerodynamic.
But still, how cool is some of the stuff people do?
Word to the wise: if you like Dr. Pepper, you will probably enjoy Sam Adams Cherry Chocolate Bock.
Labron James gets away with a foul on Paul George at the end of the game. ESPN squawkers says because its the end of the game, the refs wont make that call. Of course.