So this weekend I took a trip to LA to attend Passion conference, and it was quite enjoyable. On the car ride up and back I delved into God Save the Fan by Will Leitch, editor of the popular sports blog Deadspin. Unintentionally, I read the whole book before getting back, which says something about its accessibility and content.
Anyways, the book itself is actually a pretty light read. It's a collection of articles, like most sports book these days, divided into sections for different heads of the sports giants. While the book advertises "All new material," if you frequent Deadspin then most of it will be a recap of things known. There are multiple chapters (some as short as two pages) devoted to explaining Deadspin trends and inside jokes like Barbaro, "You're with me Leather," and AJ Daulerio's moustache. These serve as quick bathroom-style reads--Good for a quick laugh, but not really intended for any sort of deep profound thought.
Occasionally Leitch delves into something a bit deeper--the sections on Fantasy Sports, the racial divide in America, and Fantanking are quite good--and Leitch shows something lost in the random joke chapters. While I do appreciate his humor, the quick tidbits make me feel like I'm reading "Deadspin 101." His views on these issues facing the fan are apt, and I never really had a dull moment where I wanted to skip past (which seems to happen at least once when reading Baseball Prospectus-esque issues books.)
If I have one complaint about Leitch's writing style, it's that he seems to be too ingrained in the Deadspin style. I imagine over the course of creating and maintaining Deadspin, he's found a sort of formula that works well for his intended audience, but doesn't work so much over the span of a 300 page book. He makes vague references to historical things, such as Kabuki, and when they're repeated later in the book it makes me wonder only more what his intended thought was. These are things that I feel could have been tackled with better editing, but are really a minor issue.
While the book as a whole was enjoyable, I'm not sure it was all worth the $25 price tag if you're already a Deadspin frequenter. The book serves as a great introduction to the Sports Blogger mindset, and it's a good read for those in the traditionalist mindset, but I'm eagerly awaiting the paperback to shell out to my family as a gift.
I'd like to say here that the book itself isn't earth shattering, but I think that's Leitch's point. Most of the themes in the book revolve around the fact that sports don't really matter, and the average fan just wants their home team to win, the bad guys to lose, and to move on with their daily lives. I think Leitch may have intended his book to remain at this light tone because to pretend his book is going to change the Sports world as we know it would be counter intuitive. If you have read the book, I'd love to hear you chime in on this issue.
A good book, worth your time, though I'd probably wait for the paperback if/when it comes out.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Another Mediocre Year for the Giants
So a recent blurb from the latest Giants mailbag got me thinking. Here's the excerpt:
"Atlanta's deal with the A's for Mark Kotsay made me wonder about Roberts' marketability, too. The Giants surely would trade Roberts in the right deal. But Roberts' contract (he's owed $6.5 million in each of the next two seasons) could be a hindrance." -- Chris Haft, taken from http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080114&content_id=2345932&vkey=news_sf&fext=.jsp&c_id=sf
If you haven't heard, the A's traded Mark Kotsay to the Braves for Joey Devine Jamie Richmond and the Braves taking off 2 million from Kotsay's contract. The A's elected to eat most of Kotsay's 7 million dollar salary in exchange for the prospects. While Devine and Richmond aren't amazing, some still think Devine has the chance to bloom into a major league reliever, or even a closer. Richmond is just some guy.
The issue I want to discuss here is planning. The A's have made an effort to build a team for 2010. They've been selling off there veterans and rebuilding their farm system in the hopes that they can recover from a number of years of success. What I mean by "recovering from years of success" is that because the A's have been either in the playoffs or competing for the playoffs for a number of years, they've been consequently receiving low draft picks. With a team like the A's that have an artificial ceiling on their payroll due to the ownership, the draft is their bread and butter. The team every now and then has to take a step back, and replenish the farm system in order to have anything worth building up.
What does this have to do with the Giants? I believe the Giants are in a rut at the moment because they have no such planning. The Giants are stuck between the idea that they have a contending team, or that they should rebuild. On one hand, the giants could be contenders. They have a solid pitching core, with Lincecum, Cain, and Zito all capable of 20 wins if they pitch to their best ability and have run support. Some would argue that they're one or two pieces away from having a contending team (Think about it: If the Giants could sign A-Rod at third, and stick Francisco Cordero in the back of the pen, they wouldn't be all that awful.) Especially considering that the NL West, while appearing good on paper, all could suffer 2007 Dodgers syndrome and poop out near the end.
The other idea is that which most Non-Fransiscans subscribe to: that the Giants are old and suck. They have no corner infielders still, still need two pieces of the 3-4-5 punch, and have nothing but speedy Rajai Davis types coming up from the farms, since 5 of their 6 high draft picks in 2007 went to high school players.
The main problem I see though is that the Giants can't make up their minds about which of these they are. They have a few veterans locked up for a while now in Rowand and Zito, though the two of them eat up a lot of payroll. They re-signed Vizquel to another year in hopes that, despite his aging bat, his hot glove will give a boost to a pitching oriented club. They offered Pedro Feliz a two year contract (he hasn't signed yet because he wants three,) but it's still perfectly plausible that Feliz will come back to the Giants after he fails to get three somewhere else. Furthermore, they continue to hang on to Dave Roberts as mentioned above, hoping that they can ink another mediocre year out of him.
Another mediocre year. That's the problem with the Giants. Guys like Dave Roberts, Pedro Feliz, Omar Vizquel, Bengie Molina, Randy Winn, and Ray Durham aren't even surefire bets to have League Average seasons. These guys are all on their way down from their peaks, and the Giants are clinging to the hopes that they can have at least a season better than a replacement player. This kind of mentality does not win championships. The Giants core team are all guys who, at their best, are average. More likely, they will rest somewhere in between limbo and Mario Mendoza, and the Giants will fall below mediocrity again.
The Giants need to abandon the thought that they are one or two pieces away. They need to trade away their old farts and pick up some position players in the farm system. It's usually a sign that you're not one or two pieces away when you have a season like 2007 (despite what the White Sox may say.) The Giants are hoping that their minor leagues will catch up and be major league ready near the end of Rowand's and Zito's contracts, though it's hard to believe Rowand will be still All-Star calibur near the end of this contract. More likely, by the time the Giants prospects are ready for the bigs, Rowand and Zito will have become Randy Winn and Russ Ortiz, and I'll be making the argument again that the Giants need an identity.
Pick something, anything, Sabean. Either rebuild or go for it, but sitting here in mediocrity will only lend to disappointment for your fans.
"Atlanta's deal with the A's for Mark Kotsay made me wonder about Roberts' marketability, too. The Giants surely would trade Roberts in the right deal. But Roberts' contract (he's owed $6.5 million in each of the next two seasons) could be a hindrance." -- Chris Haft, taken from http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080114&content_id=2345932&vkey=news_sf&fext=.jsp&c_id=sf
If you haven't heard, the A's traded Mark Kotsay to the Braves for Joey Devine Jamie Richmond and the Braves taking off 2 million from Kotsay's contract. The A's elected to eat most of Kotsay's 7 million dollar salary in exchange for the prospects. While Devine and Richmond aren't amazing, some still think Devine has the chance to bloom into a major league reliever, or even a closer. Richmond is just some guy.
The issue I want to discuss here is planning. The A's have made an effort to build a team for 2010. They've been selling off there veterans and rebuilding their farm system in the hopes that they can recover from a number of years of success. What I mean by "recovering from years of success" is that because the A's have been either in the playoffs or competing for the playoffs for a number of years, they've been consequently receiving low draft picks. With a team like the A's that have an artificial ceiling on their payroll due to the ownership, the draft is their bread and butter. The team every now and then has to take a step back, and replenish the farm system in order to have anything worth building up.
What does this have to do with the Giants? I believe the Giants are in a rut at the moment because they have no such planning. The Giants are stuck between the idea that they have a contending team, or that they should rebuild. On one hand, the giants could be contenders. They have a solid pitching core, with Lincecum, Cain, and Zito all capable of 20 wins if they pitch to their best ability and have run support. Some would argue that they're one or two pieces away from having a contending team (Think about it: If the Giants could sign A-Rod at third, and stick Francisco Cordero in the back of the pen, they wouldn't be all that awful.) Especially considering that the NL West, while appearing good on paper, all could suffer 2007 Dodgers syndrome and poop out near the end.
The other idea is that which most Non-Fransiscans subscribe to: that the Giants are old and suck. They have no corner infielders still, still need two pieces of the 3-4-5 punch, and have nothing but speedy Rajai Davis types coming up from the farms, since 5 of their 6 high draft picks in 2007 went to high school players.
The main problem I see though is that the Giants can't make up their minds about which of these they are. They have a few veterans locked up for a while now in Rowand and Zito, though the two of them eat up a lot of payroll. They re-signed Vizquel to another year in hopes that, despite his aging bat, his hot glove will give a boost to a pitching oriented club. They offered Pedro Feliz a two year contract (he hasn't signed yet because he wants three,) but it's still perfectly plausible that Feliz will come back to the Giants after he fails to get three somewhere else. Furthermore, they continue to hang on to Dave Roberts as mentioned above, hoping that they can ink another mediocre year out of him.
Another mediocre year. That's the problem with the Giants. Guys like Dave Roberts, Pedro Feliz, Omar Vizquel, Bengie Molina, Randy Winn, and Ray Durham aren't even surefire bets to have League Average seasons. These guys are all on their way down from their peaks, and the Giants are clinging to the hopes that they can have at least a season better than a replacement player. This kind of mentality does not win championships. The Giants core team are all guys who, at their best, are average. More likely, they will rest somewhere in between limbo and Mario Mendoza, and the Giants will fall below mediocrity again.
The Giants need to abandon the thought that they are one or two pieces away. They need to trade away their old farts and pick up some position players in the farm system. It's usually a sign that you're not one or two pieces away when you have a season like 2007 (despite what the White Sox may say.) The Giants are hoping that their minor leagues will catch up and be major league ready near the end of Rowand's and Zito's contracts, though it's hard to believe Rowand will be still All-Star calibur near the end of this contract. More likely, by the time the Giants prospects are ready for the bigs, Rowand and Zito will have become Randy Winn and Russ Ortiz, and I'll be making the argument again that the Giants need an identity.
Pick something, anything, Sabean. Either rebuild or go for it, but sitting here in mediocrity will only lend to disappointment for your fans.
Monday, January 7, 2008
The Swisher trade for 2010
Welcome to 2008! I apologize for the recent lack of entries--I took a break from the blog while I sorted some things out with school and holiday engagements, but now I'm back! Thank you for your patience.
Anyways, so I originally had planned a Swisher entry, then thought I might be after the fact, but its surprising how many people missed this trade amidst the Patriots going 16-0, BCS Bowl games, and other such nonsense. A good baseball entry is just my cup of tea, so I'll use it to get back in the swing of things before tackling football later this week. So here it is: Nick Swisher of the A's was traded to the Chicago White Sox for Gio Gonzalez, Fautino De Los Santos, and Ryan Sweeney.
One may ask, "Andy, who the heck are these guys?" They're 3 of the best 4 prospects in the White Sox system. In a perfect world, De Los Santos becomes an ace, with a fastball topping at 98 with late movement and a changeup as his secondary. Gonzalez becomes a 2nd starter, as an above average lefty, and Sweeney develops some more pitch selection, power, or the ability to play Centerfield more reliably. If that happens, we just traded for Jason Schmidt, Joe Blanton, and Luis Gonzalez. But that's a perfect world.
In return we gave away Nick Swisher--arguably the face of the franchise, definitely the best offensive producer on the team (or at least the most reliable,) and to boot a man signed until 2011 without arbitration. This will probably switch Jack Cust to the Outfield until Carlos Gonzalez, Sweeney or Chris Denorfia is ready to take over, unless Beane finally trades Dan Johnson.
I've been on the fence about this for a while, and at this point, I'm leaning against the trade. While De Los Santos and Gonzalez have a lot of potential, they're single A and double A pitchers respectively, and a lot can happen in between now and their time to shine. De Los Santos still needs to perfect his changeup, develop another offspeed pitch, and prove himself against better hitters. Gonzalez needs to develop his fastball a bit more as well, and Sweeney needs to give more energy after a disappointing 2007 minor league season. On the other hand, Swisher is a proven major leaguer, who is only projected to get better. Swisher by the stats is only getting better, and he's only 27. There's no reason to think he'll decline, and is defensive versatility would be a boon to a team which waits to see which of their prospects pan out and which don't.
This isn't an awful trade by any means, but I liked Swisher as a guy who could develop into a great clubhouse leader. He has a lot of personality and charisma, and during the next few years as the new guys come up, Swisher seems like a perfect candidate to help them get adjusted. My early predictions: De Los Santos will reach the Majors in late 2009, but his changeup won't develop as hoped, but he will become a top shelf reliever. Gonzalez will reach the majors late in 2008, and become a solid 2nd starter as hoped, but may be hurt by injury in the following years due to a relatively small frame. Sweeney won't develop his power as hoped, and will turn into a Charles Thomas case. These predictions are based purely on what I've read from those more in the know, and are obviously extremely subject to change.
I agree with a good deal of other writers who believe Blanton will be traded as well, and I can't imagine Street staying with the A's with his high trade value. I had previously thought Street to be untouchable, since he's a young guy who would be a valuable rock to a developing team, but then again so was Swisher. Expect both of them to be traded before the All Star Break, with Beane waiting until he can lock Street to a multi year contract to wave at prospective buyers.
Anyways, so I originally had planned a Swisher entry, then thought I might be after the fact, but its surprising how many people missed this trade amidst the Patriots going 16-0, BCS Bowl games, and other such nonsense. A good baseball entry is just my cup of tea, so I'll use it to get back in the swing of things before tackling football later this week. So here it is: Nick Swisher of the A's was traded to the Chicago White Sox for Gio Gonzalez, Fautino De Los Santos, and Ryan Sweeney.
One may ask, "Andy, who the heck are these guys?" They're 3 of the best 4 prospects in the White Sox system. In a perfect world, De Los Santos becomes an ace, with a fastball topping at 98 with late movement and a changeup as his secondary. Gonzalez becomes a 2nd starter, as an above average lefty, and Sweeney develops some more pitch selection, power, or the ability to play Centerfield more reliably. If that happens, we just traded for Jason Schmidt, Joe Blanton, and Luis Gonzalez. But that's a perfect world.
In return we gave away Nick Swisher--arguably the face of the franchise, definitely the best offensive producer on the team (or at least the most reliable,) and to boot a man signed until 2011 without arbitration. This will probably switch Jack Cust to the Outfield until Carlos Gonzalez, Sweeney or Chris Denorfia is ready to take over, unless Beane finally trades Dan Johnson.
I've been on the fence about this for a while, and at this point, I'm leaning against the trade. While De Los Santos and Gonzalez have a lot of potential, they're single A and double A pitchers respectively, and a lot can happen in between now and their time to shine. De Los Santos still needs to perfect his changeup, develop another offspeed pitch, and prove himself against better hitters. Gonzalez needs to develop his fastball a bit more as well, and Sweeney needs to give more energy after a disappointing 2007 minor league season. On the other hand, Swisher is a proven major leaguer, who is only projected to get better. Swisher by the stats is only getting better, and he's only 27. There's no reason to think he'll decline, and is defensive versatility would be a boon to a team which waits to see which of their prospects pan out and which don't.
This isn't an awful trade by any means, but I liked Swisher as a guy who could develop into a great clubhouse leader. He has a lot of personality and charisma, and during the next few years as the new guys come up, Swisher seems like a perfect candidate to help them get adjusted. My early predictions: De Los Santos will reach the Majors in late 2009, but his changeup won't develop as hoped, but he will become a top shelf reliever. Gonzalez will reach the majors late in 2008, and become a solid 2nd starter as hoped, but may be hurt by injury in the following years due to a relatively small frame. Sweeney won't develop his power as hoped, and will turn into a Charles Thomas case. These predictions are based purely on what I've read from those more in the know, and are obviously extremely subject to change.
I agree with a good deal of other writers who believe Blanton will be traded as well, and I can't imagine Street staying with the A's with his high trade value. I had previously thought Street to be untouchable, since he's a young guy who would be a valuable rock to a developing team, but then again so was Swisher. Expect both of them to be traded before the All Star Break, with Beane waiting until he can lock Street to a multi year contract to wave at prospective buyers.
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