Baseball
SEAN MCADAM ON HIS NO VOTE FOR BERT BLYLEVEN I like Sean; he's a damn fine reporter. And he's a good sport for hearing us out on Twitter as we disagree with him. His rationale for not voting for Blyleven is what frustrates we proud internet zealots. The work of Rich Lederer lobbying on Blyleven's behalf has pointed out that relying on All-Star game selections and Cy Young votes are poor criteria for Hall of Fame selection. One could argue that much of the sabermetric research conducted has had settling debates, such as MVP and Hall of Fame by minimizing subjectivity and ambiguity. WAR attempts to do just that. If the sportswriters want to understand it, Tom Tango is happy to explain all. One needs only ask.
no commentsANGELS MISS OUT...AGAIN The Angels must put together a more potent lineup than they did last year, when they barely produced more runs than the Kansas City Royals. [Kendry] Morales will help, but he can't do it alone. And I doubt general manager Tony Reagins is enamored with the external options at third base. The remaining free agents are unexciting, and the trade market features...well...Michael Young."
no commentsCarlos Gonzalez $80 MILLION MAN After the deal was confirmed, pending a physical, yesterday applause flittered through the baseball blogosphere. But some critics are lurking to note the problems with the deal.
Bill Petti at Beyond the Boxscore noted his BAbip which was way out of line at .384, compared with an expected one of .325. A fair point.
Peter Hjort of Capitol Avenue Club tweeted this obvious concern: "Am I the only person who thinks COL is making a mistake giving $80 million to a 25 year old corner OF with a career 286/81 K/BB ratio?"
Gonzalez benefits from youth, as Petti points out. And Hjort concedes that the choice is odd, with Colorado, typically a frugal club, committing as much as they are to both Troy Tulowitzki and Gonzalez. If Gonzalez can play centerfield credibly (unlikely) then it makes more sense, buying premium talent long term, up the middle. But the threat of injury and regression looms large, and with it the chance that significant money is tied up in the baseball equivalence of a toxic asset.
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