In a trade that shall rock the very foundations of baseball for eons to come, the Indians traded Justin Masterson for a pretty decent outfield prospect. His stats on Baseball Reference are promising, and he's been tearing up AA. Might even get a September call up, although it's far more likely we'll see him next season.…
Next step: renaming to Rotunda of Notoriety
So, the Hall of Fame saw the upcoming logjam of great, dare I say overqualified, players and acted boldly. Sports on Earth is less sanguine about the change. The changes, specifically, are two: first, you have to sign a conduct clause in order to cast a ballot and second, you now get 10 years instead of 15…
Start the Cliff Lee to Cleveland rumors now!
Since the blog has been quiet, I decided to elevate our discourse to a higher plane of understanding. One, indeed, might say that had Cliff Lee been throwing more gas, his most recent start might have been a more effective one. That was the first video, incidentally, I have watched on this PC since my return…
Congratulations To Germany
The one World Cup game I saw ended up being a doozie, as Germany defeated Argentina 1-0 in extra time. Unlike a standard 1-0 affair, this game ended up being a gripping (well, for soccer...) match, and it's good to see the kids of 2006 (Schweinsteiger, Lamm, Podolski, and the like) pull this one off.…
All-Star game rosters
You can see the actual rosters here. Apart from the gaping vortex of suck starting at shortstop for the AL (thanks, fans!), there aren't huge numbers of obvious snubs. I do find it bizarre that the AL team's manager loaded up on first basemen and outfielders. But there is one All-Star that isn't, who I'd like…
There Goes The Season
It's only July and Buffalo's season is already ruined. Kiko Alonso tore his ACL and will not play this year. Right now, they're talking about Preston Brown, their third-round draft pick. Here's the problem: Buffalo is in a 4-3 this year. Brown, like Brandon Spikes, is a slow (4.8 40), run-stuffing linebacker. As a middle…
Damn it, Hoynsie
I like Paul Hoynes about 80% of the time, as opposed to Bill Livingston, who I like about 5% of the time (and even that 5% makes me feel icky). Then I read his latest mailbag. Here's the money question, and the answer. Hey, Hoynsie: Is there any theory behind Asdrubal Cabrera's decline? It seems like at his age,…
Post-War Presidents, A Counter-List
So, our resident Penguatroll listed the presidencies in rank order from Truman on. Here's my list. 12. Barack Obama. We've still got two years left, but you can fill out a 16-seed bracket with legitimate scandals. He's a complete joke when it comes to foreign policy. Quick: name someplace with which the US has better relations…
Postwar Presidents, ranked
Inspired by the Quinnipiac Poll which found Barack Obama to be the worst president since World War II, I decided to make my own list ranking the Presidents of 'Murica since the war. I count peak, in Presidents, more heavily than career length, with one exception. Honorable mention: Gerald Ford. I can't really fault him as…
Good sign? Bad sign? It’s the Browns, it could be both
I think 99% of becoming a QB in the NFL is just being "gritty." Why else would the Browns have such a fascination with Brian Hoyer, who has had a mediocre career to this point. I'm not saying he's good or bad. I just think it's odd that a backup QB -- and while I think…
36 Chambers - The Legendary Journeys: Execution to the max! 