Getting To Know Your 2010 U.S. Men's Olympic Hockey Team: Paul Martin Ryan Whitney

We made it. Yesterday we finished our look at the forwards. And this, my friends, is our final defenseman piece. We have three goaltenders to examine, and then it will be time (next Tuesday, the 16th) to drop the puck. Before we get to those wacky netminders, though, have a look at our final point man.

Ryan Whitney is not Paul Martin. Paul Martin broke his arm in late October and has not had sufficient recovery time. Ryan Whitney, on the other hand, will turn 27 just a few days after the games in Vancouver begin. The left-handed-shooting defenseman was taken in the first round (fifth overall) of the 2002 NHL Draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins. He spent his college days playing hockey for Boston University, and played a short spell for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins before being called up to the pros. In three-and-a-half seasons with Pittsburgh, Whitney amassed 173 points, but was traded last February to the Anaheim Ducks. Through 79 games as a Duck, Whitney, has accumulated just under 2000 minutes of ice time, while tallying 37 points. He has yet to reach the even mark in the plus-minus, and has 48 PIMs on the season. Through 13 playoff games with Anaheim last year, Whitney scored once and had five assists. Here's to hoping that Whitney's presence on the ice warrants his replacing Paul Martin.
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Getting To Know Your 2010 U.S. Men's Olympic Hockey Team: Bobby Ryan

We'll deliver our final two forward submissions today, and move right into defensemen, followed by netminders. We've got some ground to cover before play gets underway one week from today. You don't say? After the jump, feel free to take a walk by the bay, make some things out of clay.

Bobby Ryan will turn 23 next month. He is a right-handed-shooting right winger for the Anaheim Ducks, and he, like every other fellow we've examined, is a member of the United States 2010 Men's Olympic Hockey team. Ryan was a first-round pick (second overall) in the 2005 NHL Draft. The native New Jerseyan (Editor's Note: I'm guessing that, like Kevin Smith, he does not like "The Jersey Shore.") debuted in the pros in the '07 season, tripled his ice time the following season, and has already surpassed that number through 59 games in the current campaign. His career totals are such: 61 goals, 51 assists, 23 power-play goals and three game winners. Ryan won a national championship with the Los Angeles Junior Kings, and was named a finalist for the Calder Trophy (best rookie) last April. He has accumulated seven post-season points through 15 playoff games with the Ducks.
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Baseball In The Daytime: 23 September 2009

Yet again, but one day game highlights our major league calendar. I know the kids are back in school, and these clubs are simply trying to milk every last buck out of the season before shutting down for the winter. But I've got another reason for Baseball In The Daytime: It's cold!

The temperature at Coors Field for last night's Rockies-Padres game was Farenheit 45 at first pitch. By the end of the 11-10 home team win, stalagtites of snot were seen forming on Jason Giambi's handlebars. This is no way to play the game, use the daytime. That's the end of our public service announcement, join us for the game preview (and a little Cy Young political activism) after the jump...

NY Yankees @ Los Anaheim, 1:35 Scott Kazmir starts for Los Angels today, and there's a rumor working the circuit that Kazmir would be Mike Scoscia's choice to pitch Game 1 of the AL Division Series. This is a joke, right? I know that Kazmir has been solid since coming over from the Bay-Rays, and that he's a historic Red Sox killer, but going with Kazmir over John Lackey is cuckoo. Lackey is a horse, the ace of the staff, and a playoff veteran. I never thouhgt I'd call Mike scoscia a dope, but if he goes with Kazmir over Lackey the shoe might fit. A.J. Burnett is your Yankee pitcher, and Joe Girardi is desperately looking for a way to hide Burnett in his playoff rotation. Fun times at the Big A today.

In almost completely unrelated news, I saw a bit on Joe Posnanski's blog (last paragraph) about a gentleman named Patrick Reusse. Reusse is a sports columnist for the Minneapolis Star-Tribune and a part-time radio personality. Apparently while on the radio yesterday Reusse said that Zack Greinke will need to win at least 16 games to get consideration for his--Reusse's--Cy Young vote. I tried to listen to Posnanski's link to the broadcast but couldn't get it to work, so I have no idea about the accuracy of the statement or its context, but I'm still steamed.

The fact that this Reusse would deny Greinke the Cy, after Greinke has posted not only the indisputably best season of any pitcher in the AL but the best season of any pitcher this decade is nutty enough. But to announce to the world that his reason for potentially doing so is that he needs 16 wins (not 20, not 11, not 85, but 16) is completely bonkers. I know awards are stupid, and that they often go to undeserving recipients, but I see a unique opportunity in baseball history here. In the past the Patrick Reusses of the world worked solely for newspapers, and they were insulated from their readers and the world around them. No baseball writer ever discussed his votes for the Cy Young award or the MVP, never. The secret ballot was sacred.

Now, most of your Patrick Reusse types do what Patrick Reusse does, out of survival. They chatter on the radio. They pop up on television. They blog. They work harder more, across more platforms, in order to make a living. As a result, they're forced to come up with more shit to discuss, more than would simply fill three 500-word columns a week. And if they're Cy Young voters, they have a golden fountain of interesting talk-radio fodder. I could care less about the spoken opinions of Pat Reusse, Twin Cities lunchbag sportswriter. But Pat Reusse, Baseball Writer of America Member and Cy Young Voter, let me hear that. That's interesting. Unfortunately, his voting method is idiotic.

So I emailed Pat Reusse, (you can too, preusse@startribune.com) with my feelings about this topic. I was polite, and I didn't call him a moron. If he gives his Cy vote to C.C. Sabathia, however, moron will be the nicest thing I label Patrick Reusse. The email:

Mr. Reusse,

I'm writing in regards to your vote for the American League Cy Young award. It's my understanding that you have gone on the record to say that Zack Greinke needs to win at least 16 games to garner your vote for the Cy. Now it's your vote, and your business what you do with it, but the fact is that you announced to the world some of your criteria for that vote, and I have an opinion about that. I respect you as a journalist and a baseball man, but I think saying that 16 wins is mandatory for a Cy Young season is not commensurate with the spirit of the award.

In your previous Cy Young votes have you imposed this 16-win standard? I wonder where, exactly, you arrived at this figure as the threshold for excellence. Perhaps you have a valid set of standards for doing so that I have missed. I've always been bothered by the rigid adherence to certain arbitrary counting numbers in the game of baseball.

20 wins, for instance, has over my lifetime always been the line of demarcation for a great pitching season--even though since we've set that standard we've changed the number of games teams play in a season from 154 to 162, we've gone from four-man rotations to the current five-, and we've radically altered usage patterns with relief pitchers. Yet 20 wins remains the benchmark for excellence. There's nothing inherently evil with that--20 wins is great, and is in fact significant. But what gets me is that if you don't reach that plateau you're downgraded too severely. Let's say we have three pitchers, and one wins 24 games, one wins 20 and one wins 19. The 24-game winner would be universally applauded, and rightfully so. The 20-game winner would also get many accolades, and probably more Cy Young votes, than the 19-game winner, because he simply notched one more victory. The reason he won that single contest could be that he's much better than the 19-game winner. But it could also be pure luck, more run support, a better defense, a pitcher's park, or any of a hundred reasons why one team beats another on a single day.

Same goes with hitting .300, or collecting 200 hits in a year, or 3,000 hits in a career, or winning 300 games as a pitcher. Doing any of these things requires great skill as a ballplayer, but falling just short sometimes condemns that player to baseball purgatory. In my opinion Bert Blyleven is better than at least a dozen pitchers in the Hall of Fame, yet the fact that he ended his career 13 wins shy of 300 has haunted him. Johan Santana won Cy Young awards in 2004 and 2006, but finished third in the voting in 2005 despite leading the AL in strikeouts, WHIP and ERA+. His ERA was second in the league that year, yet his win total of 16 was tied for fifth. Bartolo Colon won the Cy Young in 2005, despite finishing 8th in both ERA and strikeouts. But Colon led his league with 21 wins, thus trumping an obviously superior season from Santana. All because of a silly adherence to the magical value of 20 wins.

Now C.C. Sabathia will get two more starts this season, and in those he will have a chance to win his 19th and 20th games. Zack Greinke will also start twice more, and it's possible that he could end up stuck on 15 wins. Even if their win totals were to end up with that wide disparity, every other statistical measure says that Greinke is the better pitcher in 2009. Sabathia has the benefit of working for a team that will win over 100 games, Greinke labors for a club that is currently 25 games under .500. Even if you simply throw out all the stats and numbers, just watching Greinke pitch it's obvious that he's on a higher level than Sabathia (or Felix Hernandez or Roy Halladay or Justin Verlander or anyone else in the AL). I would beg you, as a fan of the game of baseball, to reconsider your requirement of 16 wins for Greinke to earn your Cy Young vote. Up to this point he's been the finest pitcher in the American League, and he deserves it.

By the way, I'm not a Royals fan--I actually root for the Red Sox.

Thanks for your time,
(REDACTED)

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Baseball In The Daytime: 12 August 2009

Five games dot our landscape of day baseball this morning and afternoon, and we have teams representing five of the United States and one Canadian province. Break out your atlas and a rosin bag and get ready to head round the world of baseball...

Toronto @ NY Yankees, 11:05 Mountain The Yanks keep bulldozing toward a seemingly inevitable AL East crown, which will buy Joe Girardi at least two weeks of job security. Lose in the first round again, though, and Joe might be toast. A.J. Burnett, today's starter against his former BJ's teammates, holds a major key to the Bombers' postseason puzzle. If he can be an effective No. 2 behind Commander Cheeseburger, start planning a tickertape parade down Broadway. If he acts like A.J. Burnett, though, and the load falls to Joba and Pettite, Girardi may want to hold off on buying Manhattan real estate. Ricky Romero hurls for the visitors.

Oakland @ Baltimore, 11:35 It's very possible that these two clubs will sport two of the finest young staffs in the majors next year. Of course, a big reason for that is because they have zero veterans and they're playing kids that would be normally be in the minors. Oakland's Vin Mazzaro looks like a future ace, but he gets lit up a lot because he's 22. Oriole Jason Berken, a relative graybeard at 25, is not among Baltimore's elite prospects like Chris Tillman, Brian Matusz and David Hernandez, but he still shows big-league potential.

Tampa @ Los Anaheim, 1:35 After their deadline deal to trade their old "Devil" name to the Yankees fell through, the Bay-Rays were able to get the moniker through waivers this week. It's possible that the Angels, in need of some thump for the stretch drive, might deal Tampa a lefty reliever and a player to be named later, because the Los Anaheim Devil-Angels of Costa Mesa is a fucking sweet tag. On the field, these two gangs take up hostilities again this afternoon, after the Halos swept the first two games of this series. Jeff Niemann tries to salvage one for the Bay-Rays, while Trevor Bell becomes the 100th pitcher to start a game for the Angels this season.

NY Mets @ Arizona, 1:40 In an air-conditioned box in downtown Phoenix, two lousy baseball teams will play a baseball game that means absolutely nothing. If no one attends and they forget to turn on the cameras, will it actually happen? Of course it will, there are fantasy implications. Oliver Perez and Jon Garland take the balls from their respective catchers, and if you're counting on either Oliver Perez or Jon Garland for your fantasy baseball hopes today, I'd suggest some strong liquor.

LA Dodgers @ San Francisco, 1:45 The Giants rolled into this series after beating up on some damn good teams, including taking a series from the defending champion Phillies. They'd closed to within four and a half of the Dodgers, who'd lost 10 of 15 and have No. 1 starter Chad Billingsley gimpy and missing today's start.

So what happens? The Dodgers simply fuck the Giants up in the first two games of the series and stand to sweep today. San Fran has very nice pitching, but even with Fat Ichiro and new additions Ryan Garko and Freddy Sanchez their lineup is really, really weak. At least reigning Cy Younger Tim Lincecum starts today, against Weaver. Which Weaver, you ask? Both brothers play in SoCal, they have similar haircuts, and both of their first names start with J. So which one? The bad one. Oh, you mean Jeff. Try to throw strikes, my brother, and Play Ball!
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Baseball In The Daytime: July 29 2009

Yesterday was about the most miserable day of the whole summer. I was intensely hung over from the night before, when I volunteered to help serve food at a concert and ended up drinking a vast amount of Evan Williams "bourbon." The Red Sox, who I follow with great relish, blew a seemingly unblowable game--up by three in the ninth with Pap on the hill. The Rockies, who I keep track of with noticeable regional pride, got worked 4-0 by the New York Mets. To call the Mets a train wreck is to insult many proud drunken railroad engineers who once got plowed on Evan Williams and derailed their vessels. The Mets are chaos wrapped in a riot surrounded by a disorganized circus of unsupervised screaming children.

So the mood was sour when I went to play softball. I know, softball. It's not really a sport, and it's barely a game. To compare my softball foibles to what happens on a major league baseball diamond, even if it involves the Mets, is a leap that strains all credibility. But I'm telling the story and you're stuck reading it, so kiss off. My team, which normally defines mediocrity, has been on quite the little postseason run. After an unremarkable 3-5 regular season, we caught fire in the tournament and advanced to semifinals against our hated nemeses, the Rapist Kangaroos. In the midst of losing to these dicks, I took a line drive off my throwing hand. I don't think it's broken, but my right ring finger is about the same color as those two-tone batting helmets the Rockies wear. If I fumble a few Ks and Us while typing today, that's my excuse.

Now that all my whining is out of the way, let's move on to today. The sun is shining, there's day baseball on the docket, and all is right and peaceful with the world. Join me after the jump, where I'll preview today's ballgames and give you several indispensable bits of baseball trivia you can show off around the water cooler...

Houston @ Chicago Cubs, 12:20 Mountain Boy howdy has this National League Central turned into a humdinger of a donnybrook. After languishing in Suckville for three-fifths of the season, the Cubs have decided in the past two weeks to start playing up to their promise, payroll and preseason predictions. Chicago briefly wrested control of the division from the Cardinals on Monday, but then they gave it right back last night following their heartbreaking gag job versus these dirty Astros. Today the Cubs assign rookie Randy Wells the task of painting the black, while Mike Hampton gets the start for Houston.

Cleveland @ Los Anaheim, 1:35 On the site of an old citrus grove in Orange County today, we get a pitching matchup of Aaron Laffey v. John Lackey. In the annals of funny pitching names, these two are nowhere near the ironical humor of Kevin Slowey, Grant Balfour or Bob Walk. But still, Laffey-Lackey is pretty smirk-inducing. Also, the Indians really blow.

Pittsburgh @ San Francisco, 1:45 While we're getting cheap laughs off of puns involving the random distributions of starting pitchers, let's head to the City By The Bay. There, in a seemingly nondescript tilt betwixt the Pirates and Giants, your starting pitchers are Zach Duke and Matt Cain. Duke-Cain. Same pronunciation as Duquesne, a respectable Catholic university located in...wait for it...Pittsburgh. ZOMG! what are the odds? I guarantee I was the only scribe in Blogstralia to pick up on this stupid, stupid coincidence today.

Toronto @ Seattle, 2:40 Our final day game today features...what? Why are you looking at me like that? I promised you insightful analysis and all you got from me is a rote glance at the standings and a couple dumb jokes? You want stats? YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE STATS! I'm here for a few yuks and maybe a guffaw, pal. You want stats, buy an abacus.

Anyway, back to lovely Safeco Field, where Roy Halladay will be on an unfamiliar short leash for his start today. Not because he's shitty or the Blue jays have anything to play for, but because he could literally be traded ANY MINUTE NOW. Seriously, in the middle of his windup he might be tackled by two player-personnel guys from the Phillies and whisked to a waiting helicopter. It's that secretive and intense in the Roy Halladay Saga.

Everyone is shocked, shocked I tell you, that Toronto GM J.P. Ricciardi's super-serious Halladay trading deadline of yesterday was complete bullshit. Doc is still in play, but most teams publicly claim to be offended by Ricciardi's immense greed in the number and quality of prospects it will require to secure his services. Philly refuses to part with Kyle Drabek, the Red Sox balked at Daniel Bard, the Dodgers won't even discuss Clayton Kershaw. Which is all fine, those three kids are fucking studs, and there's a chance that all three will some day win Cy Youngs.

There's also a chance, however, that all three are in a holding tank with Ryan Leaf in two years recounting how they blew out their elbows and no one gave them a second chance. If you're a second-tier club like the Pirates or the Orioles, you don't sell the farm for Halladay. You have to win through homegrown players, it's your only route to success. if you're championship-caliber, as the Phillies, Dodgers and Red Sox are, I think you have to seriously consider giving up your top two, three, or four prospects to get him. This ain't Freddy Garcia we're talking about here, this is the meanest ass-kickingest bulldog in the game. Put him on any of the aforementioned three clubs and the road to a title becomes smooth and straight. I'm not saying it guarantees a title, no one player can do that. But it makes it infinitely easier.

If I'm the Sox or the Phillies, and I just won a ring in the past 22 months, I can see backing off and protecting the depth of your organization. You won titles without Halladay and you might do so again. But the Dodgers, come on. The Cards, the (shudder) Yankees, the Angels...what are you guys doing? You get Halladay, you can start printing World Series tickets. Prospects are just that--they may pan out they may not. The Angles have hoarded their minor-league kids for years, and in my opinion it's cost them at least one additional championship. Remember Dallas McPherson. Supposed to be the top power-hitting prospect in all of baseball, now he's an usher for the Shreveport Slugs.

If Humberto and his fellow felons in the bleachers at Dodger Stadium think that a playoff rotation of Chad Billingsley, Kershaw and someone from the Kuroda/Wolf/Schmidt grab bag is going to cut it, I say good luck with that. It could happen--no one thought Cole Hamels was ready to be a postseason workhorse last year. I'm just saying that getting Halladay is worth the long-term damage to your system.

The Phillies are supposedly working up a cheaper deal for Cliff Lee, which I think is insane. Why would you give up 80 per cent of the talent you offered for Halladay for an inferior arm? Cliff Lee's a fine pitcher, and he's definitely better than Joe Blanton or Jamie Moyer or Pedro Martinez in terms of giving you a compliment to Hamels come October. But let's get serious here--championships require sacrifice.

Opposite Halladay at Safeco today is Ryan Rowland-Smith, a distant cousin to Malcolm Jamaal-Warner and Mahmoud Abdul-Raouf. If the hyphen doesn't get you the changeup will, so keep your head in and Play Ball!
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Baseball in the Daytime: Prolonged Putrescence

I imagine there are two sides to every shirt coin, and a Royals postponement is likely no exception. On the head's side, the old "Hey, at least we didn't lose" phrase gets tossed around. On the tail's, it's "Ah, now we just get to lose twice in one day." I have absolutely no idea what to expect from this club with Los Angeles and Texas in town for the week. Intuition tells me it should be real darn ugly. When Kansas City traveled to meet the two teams, they saw an opportunity to get their first sweep of the season floundered by Professor Farnsworthless in game three of the series against Texas in April. The following month, they were outscored by a total of five runs through three games in Anaheim, including Zack Greinke's first loss (a 1-0 final) of the season.

After giving up three consecutive leads in three consecutive eighth innings against Tampa Bay over the weekend, I would expect the Angels and Rangers to send Kansas City into their first double-digit losing streak of the season. This will only make the music tougher to face as Royals General Manager Dayton Moore is supporting Manager Trey Hillman (Editor's Note: I agree with said support 115 percent, and am certain that bone-headed Sports TalkRadio idiots will spend all day parading the reasons to fire him around again.), veteran outfielder Jose Guillen is putting some of the blame on himself, wise old sage Joe Posnanski shrewdly illustrates that pointing the finger at the injury bug is no excuse, and Royals beat writer Bob Dutton indicates that there will likely be no bullpen shakeup.

I think all of that is great. I really do. I support Moore supporting Hillman. I'm glad Guillen is focusing on his own underachievments. I'm thankful for Posnanski to point out the injury perspective. Well, actually, I'm just thankful for Posnanski. And why bother trying to make roster changes to fix the bullpen. They had a bump in the road. A really, ugly, two-month bump in the road. They'll get through it. And once all of this is behind the club, the team's brass needs to hire the pictured-above guy as their consultant, as his statistical analysis is first-rate, and clearly needed. Oh, and viewable here.

Should be an interesting second half. Details on the first half of the tilt, after the jump.

Los Anaheim @ Kansas City, 4:10 Central: The matchup on the hill consists of a pair of veteran right-handers. For the visting team it's Ervin (Black) "Magic" (Woman) Santana; for the home club, Sir Sidney Ponson. Santana's career numbers include a 53-42 win/loss record, 4.57 E.R.A. with a 241:614 BBs to Ks ratio. The Ponsonator, on the other hand, is 91-111, 5.00, 601-1023. The Royals' losing ways have somehow kept them in fourth place in the A.L. Central, while LA's recent win splurge has pushed them into first in the West, two and-a-half games over the Texas Rangers. As to where to find the game, you're on your own as the DirecTV, XM schedules either haven't been updated, or don't plan to carry it. Bruce Chen and Sean O'Sullivan will be your starters in game two.

I guess it's reverse-psychology time. Go Angels.
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Baseball In The Daytime: June 17 2009

On the day after we discover that Sammy Sosa's stats might not have been on the level, BITD makes the trek to Wrigley anyway. The show must go on.

What are you going to say about Sammy? We all knew it. The saddest part to me was how much of a freak he turned himself into. McGwire was never much of a baseball player to begin with, bulking up did nothing to his game other than add to his already prodigious power. Barry and Canseco maintained some degree of outfield athleticism and baserunning ability after their chemistry experiments.

Sammy, though, that was just pathetic. A guy who once covered a lot of ground in the outfield, who once stole a lot of bases, who once was a complete player...became a sideshow. He had no lateral movement, no quickness, no ability to do anything on the field other than hit home runs. And when that went--poof. Sammy was gone. Sammy could get by OK at the Friendly Confines, but when he was asked to patrol the massive expanse of grass at Coors it was embarrassing, singles quickly becoming triples.

Try to get some good wood on the ball, after the jump...

Chicago White Sox @ Chicago Cubs, 12:20 Mountain I was listening to the Indians-Brewers game on the XM Radio Monday night, and the Cleveland crew was talking about how this weekend's interleague series between the Tribe and the Cubs was going to be comprised entirely of day games. They were flabbergasted by this notion. You, savvy reader of Baseball In The daytime, would not make such a fool of yourself on a national broadcast. Around here, we know that the Cubs play a lot of day games. We sit in the bleachers, we drink Old Style, we casually fondle strange girls in red tank tops. Whoa, who said that? Bad form, dude. Today look for John Danks to bring the kind for the Chicago Americans, while wily Canadian Ryan Dempster deals for the Nationals.

Los Anaheim @ San Francisco, 1:45 Matt Palmer is your starting pitcher for the perennial AL West champion Angels. Coming into the '09 season, Matt Palmer might have been 36th on the depth chart for such an assignment, but since the Halos have had about 35 starters hit the DL, Matt Palmer's your man. He draws reigning NL Cy Young winner Time Lincecum at Some Telecom Field today, and we don't listen to that. Play Ball!
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Lineup Against the Wall: (Eff It. They'll Always Be the) California Angels

Well, kids. We've just about made it. We're one week away from Opening Day 2009, and it's high time we had a look at the clubs that'll be participating in this campaign. This here feature is one of the many brilliant ideas crafted by proud new father Old No. 7, and in an effort to even the work load and make things interesting, I've suggested that all three sides of the Iron Triangle participate in this little exercise. I've suggested a number of things over the years, but they're usually bad ideas. Very bad ideas. We'll see how this one pans out, but for now, let's see how things look on the American League side of Los Angeles baseball this year. I'll bet you know by now just where we can accomplish such a thing. Before we head there, take note that I a) have no idea what rock'n'jocks means, nor do I intend to investigate, and b) must mention that (unfortunately) none of the above-pictured Angeles were non-roster invitees to this year's spring training.

The Angels are a fascinating club in many regards. Aside from the fact that they have die-hard fans that go by monikers such as Blanche Feverpiss, they embody a special brand of baseball. They successfully plug in a million little pieces of talent to all necessary parts of the roster, and they get an intelligent baseball mind to run the show. Their post-season exit in 2008 was, to me, one of the year's biggest surprises. I won't go so far as to speculate how well they'll do in October this year, but I will say that if I had to pick one team in all of baseball that was a sure-fire division-winner/post-season qualifier, it'd be California. Just why is an interesting combo of the aforementioned well-spread talent, baseball smarts, and because their division is just damn awful. But it's also because they're good, even if they employ third basemen whose parents missed the spelling bus in remarkable fashion. Let me Chow you what I mean.

In the off-season, they lost Mark Texeira and Francisco Rodriguez, two roster spots which leave some holes. They have, however, a pretty impressive lineup, nonetheless, which I imagine looks a little something like this:

1) 3B Chone Figgins
2) CF ToreEye Hunter
3) RF Big Bad Vlad
4) LF Bobby Abreu
5) SS Erick Aybar
6) 2B Howie Kendrick
7) 1B Kendrys Morales or Robb Quinlan (easily the biggest gap to fill in Tex's absence)
8) DH options in newly acquired Juan Rivera, Gary Matthews, Ryan Willits or Maicer Izturis (if you have to), and
9) C Mike Napoli, who I feel will thrive with the starting job this season.

In the rotation, you have:

1) John Lackey
2) Ervin Santana
3) Joe Saunders (the three of whom combined for 45 Angel wins in '08)
4) Jered Weaver, and
5) Dustin Moseley.

Now, this combo only gives you one lefty, but it's a solid one-through-three, not a bad four, and, well, five just might pan out okay for you.

The meat of the bullpen looks pretty solid as well. The top three Angels relievers averaged at a 2.40 ERA while killing the strikeouts-to-walks ratio (167-67), and scraping together 23 wins, which leads to K-Rod's replacement in Brian Fuentes, who just happened to net 30 saves last year for a pretty bad Rockies club.

Now, take all that, throw in the Seattle Mariners, who will likely stink up the joint again, the old college-try Oakland Athletics, and a surprisingly (spring-training) feisty Texas Ranger club, and you may as well just hand L.A. the pennant. Stranger things have, of course, happened, but I wouldn't gamble on the West being won by anyone else. Not this year, anyway.
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Orange County Boogaloo: An Angels-Red Sox Preview

This ain't no Baseball In The Daytime--this is MLB's showcase series and therefore TBS will show all the games under the lights. But this matchup does contain some personal relevance here at the HoG, due to old allegiances. On-again off-again baseball analyst Captain Feverpiss has his take on his Angels, my Red Sox and the state of the elections. Enjoy.

Old No. 7: Your team was eliminated by the Red Sox in 2004 and 2007. Both times the Angels were swept, and both times the Red Sox went on to a world title. When it was confirmed that the matchup was once again Los Anaheim-Boston, what was your reaction? Are you thrilled to get another shot?

Captain Feverpiss: My reaction has been mixed. Have the Red Sox had our number for the past three playoff series? Yes. Have the Red Sox won 7 straight postseason games against us? Yes. That being said, I have much more confidence this year due to our overall supremacy against the Sox. We swept them at home and away for the first time ever. We demoralized Ben Affleck and forced Stephen King to write romance novels. I wouldn't say I'm thrilled to "get another shot," I'd say I'm thrilled we have a stronger team than in years past and that the Sox are limping in a bit. The absence of Manny Ramirez helps as well. I always hated having to pitch to either him or Ortiz (or both) the way they stacked the lineup. Without steroids or Manny, Ortiz has proven that he's not all that dangerous.

7: Who's the most important Angels player in this series? What about for the Red Sox?

Feverpiss: For the Angels I think there is a need for a role player to step up. Who will it be? I don't know. I think we need Garrett Anderson, Mike Napoli, Howie Kendrick or Chone Figgins to step up and help the stars (Vlad, Hunter and Teixeira) carry the load. Role players seem to provide that extra edge in a closely matched battle like this. Vlad has not been a big component in the playoffs throughout his career. Hopefully Teixeira will be as good as he's been in the regular season. In my mind, the difference maker will be the Angels' ability to score runs. I think it will be up to a role player to punch out of the mold and get us that extra spark.

Dustin Pedroia is the one to watch on the Red Sox. He's a catalyst that can get their offense moving quickly. If Pedroia can do what he's done all season, get on base and score runs, the Angels are in for a long series.

7: How do you think the new veterans (Torii Hunter and Mark Teixeira) will hold up in the crucible of the ALDS? What about the kids (Erick Aybar and Howie Kendrick)?

Feverpiss: I see no reason for concern that the "crucible" will test any of these players. Hunter has been there before, many times. He's a guy with a good sense of humor and should keep things light on the younger guys. Teixeira hasn't been tested on this stage, however all accounts point to the fact that the guy is an adult, a diplomat, and has ice water in his veins. Howie Kendrick would be a guy who I might be concerned about a little, but he's so damn good at making solid contact that I think he'll keep a cool head and do his job.

7: What are you most worried about in Game 1?

Feverpiss: Getting out of the gates early and scoring runs. We have to strike early and often. I know Frankie Rodriguez had a great year and earned some sort of record, but I don't want to see the ball in his hand in Game 1. I need a blow out of epic proportions to be comfortable.

7: You guys have the best road record in the majors--in fact, you went 50-31 both in Anaheim and away from your park. Does this team have any concerns about travelling to Fenway this year or are Games 3 and 4 just run-of-the-mill contests?

Feverpiss: Game 3 will not be just a "run-of-the-mill" contest. Every game these guys play will be vitally important to them and regardless of the Fenway dominance this season, it will be no easy contest. Game 4, if necessary, will be crucial because it will mean that we are either putting the Sox away, or setting a positive tempo for the plane ride home for game 5.

7: Will K-Rod be a Met next season? If so, will Scott Shields close? Jose Arredondo?

Feverpiss: Shields should get it due to seniority. Arredondo is great, but unproven. Arredondo will make a great set up guy next season. Look for Jepsen during the series as well. He may be a key bullpen guy next season.

If there is any justice in the world, K-Rod will be a Met next season and never make another postseason appearance in his career.

7: Is Ervin Santana's resurgence for real? Do you think Joe Saunders will be a sturdy playoff starter? Are you guys going with a four-man rotation or will Lackey come back for Game 4?

Feverpiss: I believe Ervin's resurgence is the real deal. He's always had great stuff, he just always seemed to fall short of expectations as if he was overwhelmed. Maybe the correct analogy would be that Santana was overwhelmed like Jim J. Bullock at his first bukkakke.

Saunders is solid. He won't strike many out (last Sunday's 9 K performance was a fluke), but he'll eat innings and give the Angels a chance to win.

Lackey will be back for game 4, Scoscia doesn't have much confidence in Garland or Weaver right now.

7: In your opinion, does Scoscia manage differently in the playoffs? Does he run differently, take more/fewer chances, use his bullpen strangely? Some guys are better regular season managers than postseason or vice versa, what's your take on your skip?

Feverpiss: I think Mike plays a slightly more aggressive tilt in the postseason. He doesn't necessarily gamble, but he takes an extra base here and there that he normally wouldn't in the regular season. Of course, he will always preach aggressive running on the basepaths, however Mike will tend to really try to take advantage of opportunities and try to open games up in the postseason.

7: I know I asked you earlier in the year about this team versus the 2002 Angels that won it all. How do you personally feel going into October this year, versus the other years you've made the playoffs? Are you more confident? This team seems awfully solid.

Feverpiss: There is much more expectation on this club. We basically went wire to wire, and we are much more talented. No doubt this team has a different style. The 2002 team had a totally different make up and won because they fought hard, not because of sheer talent.

7: OK, I need some predictions from you. Give me a winner for the other three series, the league championships and the World Series.

Feverpiss: Angels vs. Red Sox: Angels in 4.

Chicago vs. Tampa: Tampa in 5.

LA vs. Chicago: Cubs in 3.

Philly vs. Millewaukee: Philly in 4.

ALCS: Angels in 6.

NLCS: Cubs in 7.

World Series: Angels in 7.

Presidential Election: Obama by 8.

If the bailout is passed: Depression for 6 years.

If no government bailout takes place and companies are allowed to fail: Nasty 2 year recession.

7: I personally can't see an 8-point spread in the popular vote. I don't care what the polls say now, that's a pretty massive blowout when you consider where the popular vote has been over the last 20 or so years. If Obama wins it'll be by two or three. I look at electoral votes--if the vote were today I think Obama would take just over 300, with 270 needed to win. But if McCain keeps fucking up his campaign, it could be an electoral massacre with 340 or more for Barack. He's up right now in all the big swing states and could win Missouri, Indiana, North Carolina and Colorado as well. What does McCain have to do to keep it close? What can Obama do to put it away?

Feverpiss: If McCain were smart he'd try to figure out a way to flip flop and start trashing the bail out. I know that would be nearly impossible, but if he wants to win over the independent or swing voter--say no to the bailout.

If Obama wants to put it away, he should start reading Austrian economics and start quoting Mises and Hayek. He should let the McCain camp implode on itself and start talking about fiscal discipline, not entitlement expansion.

7: Ten four. I'll go this way:

ALDS: Red Sox in 5, White Sox in 5.

NLDS: I already took the Cubs and Phillies.

ALCS: White Sox in 6.

NLCS: Cubs in 4.

World Series: South Side over North Side, 7 games.
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Baseball in the Daytime: 9-4-08

Thursday delivers a trio of daytime baseball, and we're pleased to tell you that not a one of the six teams stands a chance of making the playoffs. Okay. Well, the Angels might make it in on a wing, a prayer, and 40 Halos, but nobody's paying attention to west-coast baseball right now. Are they? I mean, aside from the Dodgers, Diamondbacks, and Angels, of course. For the purposes of today, however, the baseballing will take place in middle America, where the humidities of summers have vanished, if only temporarily, into the chills and mists of early September.

Pittsburgh @ Cincinnati, 11:35 (Central): Today's first feature takes us to Great American Ball Park, where the home starter is none other than the 2-7 Josh Fogg. His right arm is slated to battle the left arm of the visiting Tom Gorzelanny and his 6-9 record. These two teams are playing for something not called October baseball, as together they are 48 and-a-half games behind the NL Central leaders. The contest, nevertheless, can be seen on DirecTV 722, and heard on XM 189.

Los Anaheim @ Detroit, 12:05: Our second game takes us to the Motor City, where veteran cockmunch Kenny Rogers dons the home uni for the Tigers, and Ervin Santana gets the nod for the Halos. Rogers hopes to make one more stride towards a .500 season, while Santana seeks win number 15. Catch this one on 723 or 724, DirecTV-style, or listen in on XM's 178.

Oakland @ Kansas City, 4:10: And our final tilt today is part one of a double-header, as yesterday's relentless KC rains continued to fall all through the evening, night, and are actually still falling as I type. Should it let up in time for Dan Meyer and Kyle Davies to take the mound this evening, I'll be surprised, let alone for Dana Eveland and Brian Bannister this afternoon. Either way, both clubs are buried in their respective divisions, Oakland still far from the basement with a nice cushion of Seattle Mariner beneath them.

Those are your day games today, baseball fans. Get out to the park, or tune in for your broadcasts with vigor. Let them players know that no one cares about the Giants or the Redskins.
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Baseball In The Trade Time: Snot On The Ball

Hey there folks, this is Old No. 7 checking in. I'm required by my parole officer to post once a month. But I'm not actually going to write anything, I've delegated the heavy lifting to my distant relative Anachro Capitalist. With the trading deadline in MLB just a couple hours off, AC weighs in on the Mark Teixiera (pronounced "Renteria") trade by his beloved Angels. This is the first in a soon-to-be-forgotten long-running series called "Snot On The Ball," in which Anachro will pumble you with baseball. Lots and lots of baseball.

A few weeks back, two handsome trades occurred in the National League Central Division. Cecil wrote about one here, and Old No. 7 wrote about one here. Today is my turn to discuss the third major trade that occurred just yesterday (no offense Humberto/Casey Blake). The trade I speak of involved the Angelitos de Los Anaheim and the Team of the Nineties- your Atlanta Braves.

Due to many reasons, mostly including injuries to key starters, the Braves have surrendered their season and given up on any attempt to sign Mark Teixiera to a long term deal. At this time of the season, this makes the Braves “sellers” in the trade circuit. In contrast, the Angels came into this week with a commanding division lead and the playoffs on their collective horizon. With many baseball pundits claiming that the angels were missing one piece to get to the glory hole land. By all accounts, this piece was “another big bat in the lineup”. This, my friends, would make the Angels “buyers”.

Among the rumored teams that were courting the services of Mark Teixiera, the Angels had the distinct advantage of being able to offer up an everyday replacement at first base, as well as a host of prospects. This year, however, the market has changed. Gone are the days of yesteryear when a team would literally sell their arsenal of future stars to “rent” a proven stud for the last months of the current season. Just like the embattled housing market, this year’s MLB trade deadline has become a buyers market.

While the details surrounding how the Casey Kotchman/Steve Marek for Mark Teixiera actually went down are unclear, it is apparent that sometime between the text messages while sitting on the throne and instant message chats, Angels GM Tony Reagins put an end to the days of not dealing before the trade deadline. In the past, Ex-Angels GM Bill Stoneman had been reluctant to trade away anybody to rent a player for the postseason run. With this move, Reagins sent a message to the Angels faithful that management wants to win it all, and win it now.

At first glance, this trade makes a ton of sense for both teams. The Braves acquire an exceptional defensive first baseman with a good bat. While Kotchman will never compete with Texiera in sheer power, he has proven himself as a quality contact hitter who does not strikeout. Kotchman is a young talent, and with more at bats, he should turn into a player of Don Mattingly’s caliber. The Angels will be able to give Vlad Guerrero much needed protection in an already potent lineup. The 1-2 punch of Guerrero/Texiera will be an ample anecdote to the Ortiz/Ramirez 1-2 in Boston that has been devastating to American League pitching for quite some time.

Turn the page to next season and this deal will leave many Angels fans with unanswered questions. Teixiera is an unrestricted free agent after the season and has no Southern California ties. In fact, Teixiera has expressed interest in playing for his home town Orioles. Scott Boras, noted super agent, represents Teixiera- a fact that is troubling for any team hoping to sign him. Despite the fact that Rex Hudler, Angels color man on TV, has noted that in private conversations with Teixiera he has expressed interest in playing for the Angels, there is no certain future for him with the Halos. If attempts at signing Texiera to a long term deal after the World Series fail, the Angels will have the services of unproven Cuban defector Kendry Morales at 1st base and a compensatory draft pick. Pair this with the Angels recent domination of their once-nemesis Boston Red Stockings, and you may be left shaking your head.

Fear not, Halo fans. The most important objective of the season is winning a World Series ring. Let the chips fall where they may regarding the signing of Teixiera to a long term deal. The point is, there is new blood in the front office and it doesn’t want to sit on its hands any longer. Sure, the media will still focus on the Yankees, Red Sox, and Mets, but it doesn’t matter much when they’re watching the Angels beat the Cubs in the World Series.
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Midseason Baseball Report: AL West

This is the House of Georges, and this is the HoG’s Midseason Baseball Report. In it we’ll examine each of baseball’s six divisions with a fan of a team in that division.

Today’s selection is the American League West, and our divisional expert is Blanche Feverpiss, fearless commenter and rising star on the series of tubes. Blanche is dedicated to two causes: decreasing the size of the federal government and the majestic glory of Angels baseball, regardless of from what geographical location those Angels hail (today is is Los Angeles of Anaheim). He's also my cousin.

Old No. 7: At the break, the Angels check in with a 57-38 record, first in the AL West and in fact the finest mark in all of baseball. You're six games clear of the pesky A's, and you're the only team in the AL with a winning road record (an unbelievable 31-18 away from the rats of the Big A). Explain this road dominance, whether you think it can continue, and if you think it can translate to big success in the postseason should you get there.

Blanche Feverpiss: The only way I can explain the road dominance is good pitching and plenty of luck. Our Pythagorean is something around +7 so yes, we are one hell of a lucky ball club! I would understand why a team with a shitty home field (like Fenway) would have a great road record (anything to get away from those asshole fans!). Our home field, however, is filled with knowledgeable fans and a winning tradition. Plus, the rock pile in center field exudes history and baseball lore. Michael Eisner, then CEO of Disney, said that the rock pile was an exact replica of one of Mordecai "Three Finger" Brown's post-game dumps.

O#7: OK, I may have to give up my Sabermetrician's card for asking this, but explain Pythagorean to me. I forget.

Feverpiss: The Wikipedia explains it pretty simply:

"Pythagorean expectation is a formula invented by Bill James to estimate how many games a baseball team "should" have won based on the number of runs they scored and allowed. Comparing a team's actual and Pythagorean winning percentage can be used to evaluate how lucky that team was (by examining the variation between the two winning percentages). The term is derived from the formula's resemblance to the Pythagorean theorem.

The basic formula is where Win% is the winning percentage generated by the formula. The expected number of wins would be the expected winning percentage multiplied by the number of games played."

In layman's, it's a formula created by math geeks that fairly accurately predicts a teams expected win/loss record via previous results based on runs scored/runs allowed. According to the Angels' P-Thag, they are playing over their collective heads.

O#7: This is a team built on pitching. John Lackey's return from the DL has fortified the rotation, but the real story is the rejuvenation of Ervin Santana's magic and the emergence of Joe Saunders. The bullpen seems fine, as Francisco Rodriguez is on pace for a record 59 saves, but digging a little deeper reveals that your relief ERA is only 11th in the AL (4.07) compared with the starter mark of 3.75 and an overall 3.84 (good for 3rd and 6th in the league respectively). What's the state of your pitching staff, and what worries you for the second half?

Feverpiss: Injuries are always a worry. Same could be said for any team though. I also tend to worry about Jared Weaver's fragile ego. That guy looks like he's going to start crying after he gives up a home run. The bullpen has been weaker this season compared with other seasons past. Not having Donnelly in there to rub down the balls with pine tar hurts. Frankie may break the record for saves this year, but he gives me pyrosis every time he toes the slab. Since you brought up Santana; I think the main reason for his re-emergence has been his ability to keep his "lifestyle" "closeted". Not that there's anything wrong with that.

O#7: You've been implying that Santana flies the rainbow flag for some time now. What's the big gay bar in Orange County?

Feverpiss: The Boom Boom Room was a famous gay bar in Laguna Beach for many decades. They closed down last year I believe. The Orange County Register had this week long tribute with all kinds of stories about dudes that met their life partner or something. A sad chapter for those fellows who like the dudes. Not implying anything, but it happened to coincide with Santana's worst year of his career. Coincidence?

O#7: What's the status of Kelvim Escobar? Can you count on him at all this season?

Feverpiss: Kelvim has been throwing the ball in Tempe all season. He's encountered set backs, but also shown that he may be able to make it back this season. It's frustrating, because when they found a tear in his shoulder, he stated that he'd just retire rather then rehab a surgery. That being said, I wouldn't count on him this season, unless it's a relief role. Don't get me wrong though, he'd be great out of the bully. The guy has great command of about 5 pitches. Late in a tight ballgame, I'd love the option of bringing him out of the pen.

O#7: Good point. Escobar was once a very effective reliever for the Blue Jays, but he also beat his woman in Toronto. You win some, you lose some.

Feverpiss: You know all the wife beating gossip. You are the baseball equivalent to Perez Hilton or something. Pedroia is your Lindsay Lohan, and Youkilis is your Brittney spears. I guess Francona is Madonna.

O#7: All that pitching however, contrasts with the standard lack of offense. Last season at this time you glossed over the Angels' diminutive power numbers by advertising the glory of Scosciaball--bunting, stealing, hustling, hitting and running, going first to third, doing the little things. The purist in me loves these aspects of the game, but I also know that the easiest way to put runs on the board is via the home run, and the second easiest way is to clog up the bases with runners and then get hits. By any measure the O is struggling: 11th in runs scored, 9th in homers, 12th in on-base percentage. You are 3rd in steals, which is nice, but unless you're stealing home you still have to find ways to drive those guys in. What are your feelings on the offense?

Feverpiss: Scosciaball works marvelously when it is accompanied by a three run dinger now and again. We had that glorious combo in 2002. This year, not so much. Scrape, hustle, scratch, claw, and glory hole your way on base, then let a monster like Vlad knock you in with a blast. Well, Vlad isn't hitting as well this season, and our hitting with runners in scoring position has been flaccid. The truth is, I'd love to rent a big bat for the remainder of the year (maybe sign to a long term deal?). Holliday and Teixeria have been rumored. Unfortunately, I can't see that happening. It's not like us. Typical response from management goes something like "We've got the bats we need, it's just a question of when they'll start hitting". Poppycock. Hunter was a good pick up but he's not a power bat. Gary Matthews Jr. is afraid of the ball, and Garrett Anderson is clearly declining. Sure, if our pitching and defense can keep games close we will have a good chance at winning, but the extra insurance of a big bat protecting Vlad would be reassuring.

O#7: I noticed that the Angels have hit the most grounders and the fewest fly balls in baseball. What gives?

Feverpiss: The result of a "contact hitting" philosophy? Truth is, (hitting coach) Mickey Hatcher has a net pulled over the infield for batting practice. It is suspended 15' above the field. The players play a game: if the ball hits the net you are fined $50. It's supposed to produce line drives, because if the ball doesn't touch the infield you win $50. I guess the wrong habits are being encouraged.

O#7: Now you and I have gone back and forth for many years on the reluctance of the Angels to part with prospects for established players. It's my feeling that this hesitation has cost you at least one more championship since 2002. Do you think this is the year you make a deadline deal for a bat? Does the organization feel that this year, a year that does not see a dominant American League club, might justify bending the rules a little?

Feverpiss: Oh, I thought we just talked about this. Um, let's see... We need a bat. Management probably won't part with prospects. I'd be pleasantly surprised if we made a big trade for offense by the trading deadline.

O#7: Now let's run around the division. The A's are once again contending after supposedly gutting their team in the off season by trading away Dan Haren and Nick Swisher. They lead the league in many pitching categories, but they just dealt another ace in Rich Harden. Can they hang around?

Feverpiss: I can't see the A's being a threat sans Harden. They are definitely a pesky team though. I hate playing them because their pitching is always tough on us and we both have weak hitters.

O#7: The success of the A's doesn't really surprise me, but the fact that the Rangers have a winning record does. I thought they'd be much, much more awful. They can't pitch for shit, of course, but the Josh Hamilton-led offense is hands down the best in baseball. Does Texas scare an Angels fan at all?

Feverpiss: The Rangers are scary for their spoil factor. They don't have the pitching to hang around the top of the division, however they have the offense that can knock a team around and rattle the playoff order. We have flirted with the best record in baseball all season. I'd hate to lose home field in the playoffs because of a bad series in Arlington. Fuck George Bush.

O#7: Finally, we have the miserable Mariners. After exceeding expectations last year they've shit the bed this season and are 20 games out. Do you see anything on their team that could hinder your playoff hopes? Or should Seattle fans settle in for a few years of suck?

Feverpiss: I love that saying "shit the bed". I've shit my bed twice. One time, my girlfriend was sleeping next to me. I tried to pull the fitted sheet off like a magician pulls off a table cloth and leaves the plates and silverware. Needless to say, she woke up.

Seattle should trade off the vets and rebuild. Use Tampa and the Marlins as examples. Hell, follow the A's model. Whatever they do, they shouldn't pay any attention to the Royals (no offense Roy F. Almania).

That was a pretty weak line a while back about buying a home to help out the economy.

O#7: It's clear that I worded that sentence poorly, since I've caught quite a bit of shit for it. I wasn't advocating a home purchase as a means of economic stimulus for the U.S. I was saying that widespread home ownership is healthy for our economy. Since we as a nation no longer save, the easiest way for families to put away money for a rainy day is to accumulate equity in their homes. Now this is not a solution for everyone--in some areas the cost of real estate makes it more sensible to rent. New York and San Francisco fall into this category, and I understand Southern California has some pricey digs as well.

But the last thing I want to do is to get into a mortgage debate with Blanche Feverpiss, lending Machiavelli. How will Bob Barr affect this race?

Feverpiss: I agree, let's not urinate on each other. Let's agree on this: most Americans do not save enough. Let's disagree that "the easiest way for families to put away money for a rainy day is to accumulate equity in their homes". The last housing bubble proved that today's Americans don't "save" their equity! They collectively use their home as an ATM card. Refi, refi, refi, 30 day late, 60 day late, 90 day late, notice of default.

Bob Barr will not affect the outcome of the 2008 presidential election. Support for Barr/Root will, however, get under the grey, wrinkled skin of John McCain and the rest of the neo-cons who think they can bomb us to world peace and use the FED to print dollars with wild abandon. Bob Barr is not the perfect candidate by any means. He voted for many, many unjust and unconstitutional laws while a congressman. My opinion is that we should do whatever we can to ensure the neo-cons do not retain power. They need to be purged. I know Cecil is a staunch supporter of the Limbaugh/Hannity/O'Reilly faction. To this, I say you are wrong sir. Wrecking our economy with unconstitutional foreign war (paid for by the Chinese), debasing our currency via the Federal Reserve, and taking a massive wrecking ball to what is left via government bail outs should not go unpunished. I don't agree with Obama on many issues, however I wish there were more of him right now, and they would all unseat every Republican in the House and Senate (and White House) except Ron Paul and Chuck Hagel.

O#7: I'm not saying that Barr will draw much support nationally, I'd be shocked if he picked up more than 2 or 3 per cent of the popular vote. But he's polling higher than that in a few battleground states--6% in his native Georgia, 8% in my state of Colorado, 9% in Nevada. Those totals obviously come out of voters that McCain needs, and Nader is not draining similar numbers from Obama. If that holds up, he will affect the race even if he draws fewer than 2 million votes nationwide.

What I'm asking is, will it hold up or is it a temporary phenomenon? Are there broad numbers of libertarian/conservative voters in key states in this country that are, like you, fed up with the current state of the Republican party and willing to forsake the Republican candidate--even if they know that it will hand the election to someone who's far to their left? You've talked about voting for Obama anyway, but you don't get hung up on all this social/religious nonsense that some conservatives do. I also think that you recognize that while Obama is pretty liberal, he has the capacity for fiscal responsibility and common sense.

Feverpiss: Righty-O. I must rephrase my original statement. Bob Barr will not affect the 2008 presidential election the way Nader affected the 2004 race (or the way Buchanan affected the 2000 race!). Bob Barr may pull conservatives away from McCain in swing states, but I don't think national polling numbers are correct at this point. I believe Barr's numbers are higher than reality, and I think Obama will crush McCain in Colorado and Nevada anyway. My hope is that Barr's "popularity" will hold up, because I believe he has an important message that needs to get out to the average citizen. We are all so brainwashed by the mainstream media, most people don't even know that its OK to disagree with BOTH parties. Fox News, MSNBC, and CNN try to divide the public into two groups, when the real America is actually many different groups of political thought.

Obama does have the capacity for fiscal responsibility and common sense. He also has the capacity for the old school mentality of one of his heroes- FDR. FDR believed that the way out of a depression was government intervention and spending. With my opinion that we are headed toward a catastrophic depression many times worse than the 1930's, the Democrat's tendency toward government intervention frightens the shit out of me. This is why I am such a strong supporter of Ron Paul. Let's face it, I could care less about abortion or the death penalty. I don't care if there is prayer in school or dildos in sex education. I care about my money, my family's welfare, and my son's future. I don't want him to die in a war, and I don't want to live under a bridge with cardboard scraps and newspaper for blankets. If we could rid ourselves of the "world's police" moniker, cast away the federal income tax, abolish the Federal Reserve (and central banking/ fractional reserve banking), I believe we would be in better economic shape. But see, this is less government, not what I believe both candidates want- more government.

What do the politicians do when banks like IndyMac collapse? They blame the Wall Street Execs and the speculators. Why not blame themselves for setting up this ponzi scheme? Why don't they blame the idiot homeowners for overextending themselves? Same shit applies to oil, but I know you want to keep this short. Maybe oil will be the topic of the inaugural post on www.houseofblanches.blogspot.com

Here's a few questions:

Who was worse, George Bush II or Woodrow Wilson? GWB gave us the Patriot Act, Afghanistan, Iraq, and much, much more. WW gave us the Federal Reserve, the Income tax, drug prohibition, the first draft, ignored the demobilization of Germany after the war, the segregation of the Federal Government, and promoted our unnecessary involvement in WWI which led to WWII. They both loved baseball though!

O#7: I think it's a little early to assess the historical significance of Bush. We'll have to see what finally happens with democracy in the Middle East, the war on terror, the impact of his expansion of government (specifically the Department of Homeland Security but also the prescription drug entitlement and others), No Child Left Behind, and his appointments to the judiciary. I'm also curious to see how future presidents handle his doctrine on preemptive military action and his aggressive annexation of power for the executive at the expense of other branches. It's easy to say that Bush is the worst president ever, but a closer examination in twenty years may reveal that he's the worst leader in the history of humankind.

Feverpiss: Any way you slice it, it is not our "moral responsibility" to spread democracy or any of those other sound bites. That said, I'll go with Woodrow Wilson as the worst president ever. That guy sucked. Pick your most hated college professor and make him president- that was Woodrow Wilson.

What are your feelings on the FED bailout of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac? I despise Socialism, so you can imagine how angry I am. Do you think it's our government's duty to help struggling lenders during these hard times? Shouldn't the old phrase "you reap what you sow" play out here?

O#7: Once again your expertise in the financial sector swamps me, just as my skills in the arena of fantasy baseball dwarf yours. I've always thought that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were somewhat propped up by the federal government from the get-go, kind of like how we subsidize the supposedly self-sufficient operation of Amtrak. Help me out--are the two institutions completely private?

Feverpiss: They were government institutions until Nixon set them off into the private sector. They do get special treatment however. We are seeing that right now. While other publicly traded institutions have legal obligations to report earnings (10ks, etc.), Fannie and Freddie fall exempt from these types of "rules". Fannie and Freddie are currently borrowing money (Bernanke effectively turned on the printing press) at a rate of 2.5% from the FED. If you factor in inflation- F&F are borrowing at negative interest. Socialism comrades!

By the way- If I didn't have half my team on the disabled list last week, I would have beaten you.

One more: why is the government involved in our banking? Next thing you know, they'll be forcing me to contribute to some massive, socialistic retirement fund. Oh wait...
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Baseball In The Daytime: 6-11-08

I'll keep this one brief. There are a lot of basebally things I'd like to get to later today, including more about the hairy gap-toothed caveman you see down the page and a modest proposal to save the entire fucking sport. Stay tuned.

For now, though, please take in the pair of games on today's agenda as well as an update on the contest America can't get enough of: Bankmeister v. Old No. 7 in head to head fantasy baseball...

Seattle @ Toronto, 10:37 Mountain I'm not going to go on another tirade over Canadia's weird start times and further desecration of America's national game. My feelings are well known. Let's just say that on the carpet of the Rogers Center today you'll see a couple pretty fine starting pitchers. Shaun Marcum goes for the home whites, and is quietly assembling a tremendous year--2.52 ERA and 0.97 WHIP thus far. His opponent in road grays no longer goes by King Felix very often, but Hernandez is still capable of dominating--witness his 3.07 ERA. What's troubling to me is that he's only striking out 7.5 per nine, a dandy number for most pitchers but pedestrian when you see his effortless heat and knee-buckling junk.

Tampa @ Los Anaheim, 1:35 Heading out to the West Coast, the pitching gets even better. Today's matinee in Orange County sees John Lackey host Scott Kazmir in a tussle of staff aces. Both these teams hoard speed, and both subscribe to the Mike Scoscia school of using it--Bay-Rays skipper Joe Maddon was once Scoscia's bench coach. Watch those basepaths turn into a track meet.

The Alex Gordon Experiment Express v. Making Noises For Moises Banky's been asking for a breakdown of this dustup all week, and I'm more than happy to oblige. At press time my Moises squad held an 11-3 edge in this 7x7 format. Sure, it's early in the week, but few knowledgeable observers see much changing here. I send five, count 'em, five starters to the hill today, which could potentially give me the edge in my three weak categories: strikeouts, ERA and on-base-against. My offense is coming around lately, and the recent returns of Vernon Wells and Matt Holliday from injury will only add to Bank's woes.

On the plus side, Bank did trade Roy Oswalt earlier in the season for a bag of peanuts and a few spare Vespa parts, and Roy turned in a nice 10-K, 1 ER gem last night. Good times, and Play Ball!
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Baseball In The Daytime: Tax Day

It's also Jackie Robinson Day, and thus you have a scorekeeper's nightmare where entire teams and many players will don the universally retired No. 42 of Mr. Robinson. And, for historical accuracy, fans will hurl beer bottles and epithets at ballplayers on the field.

Actually, that probably won't happen. Instead we'll simply scan the diamonds for clutch hits and pitches, including those from the following games played without artificial light.

But first I must admonish our administrator for allowing some of the House's wiring to fall out of building code. The link to Kissing Suzy Kolber has changed, sir, and ours is out of date fine (Editor's Note: I'm on this shit, idiot). Just like old favorite The Dugout has been on AOL for almost a year (Ed. Note: You can still get there just fine, moron. And don't miss this instant classic). OK, so maybe the links do work, we're still missing some fantastic baseball-themed blogs. I demand Fire Joe Morgan make the cut. And Bugs & Cranks is deserving too (they even cover the Royals!). We ought to have a Rockies blog, and this one ain't bad. UmpBump, Walk Off Walk and Yanks Fan/Sox Fan are still in the minors, but could be called up midseason--give 'em a look (Ed. Note: These requests could easily be taken care of in an interoffice memo, but apparently it benefits your street cred to yell at The Man).

Oakland @ Chicago White Sox, 12:05 Mountain A couple of surprising junior circuit clubs take to The Cell's green grass, led by a couple of surprising junior pitchers: Dana Eveland and John Danks, bro.

Los Anaheim Angeloses @ Texas, 2:05 You can beat 'em up, you can knock out half their rotation, you can try to poison their fans, but these Angels just won't die. In fact, with all their challenges, they're but a game out of first in the West. Dustin Moseley, who is subbing for injured Lackey/Escobar, is your starter in red, while Kevin Millwood rehashes his tired act in Ranger blue.

Arizona @ San Francisco, 2:35 I've told you before how many home runs Micah Owings hit in high school, how bout some more fun trivia? Like he's dating this chick from Hong Kong? His opposition today, Kevin Correia, pronounces his name like "Korea." And Korea is in Asia, like Hong Kong. Join us in five days for more dumb facts about Micah Owings.

Kansas City @ Seattle, 4:40 I was going to dazzle y'all today with a bunch of hard core stats about Kansas City's pitching prowess this year, but then I saw that we've already shoved a bunch of Royals crap down your throat. We'll simply leave you with the fact that John Bale is going for KC's third straight complete game against Miguel Batista.

(Update: Walkoff Walk is now officially sent back to the Single A, and may be designated for assignment. The reason? Blatantly ripping off the feature you're currently reading. Was poaching a rhyming headline not enough for you assholes? Now you conveniently adopt the day-baseball beat that I've been running for nearly a year? Credit where credit's due, punks. If I see an image of clam juice we are throwing down.)
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Baseball In The Daytime: 4-9-08

I've listened to a lot of Reds baseball on the radio this year. I'll admit, I've got a case of Cueto Fever that medication will not assuage. Now they play this song, and it's annoying, but it's on the radio so I just assumed it was some Cincinnati douche-rockers.

I don't know if Bronson is just lip-synching to the Cincinnati douche-rockers or that's actually his composition, but holy hell. I must give credit to this find to the excellent Bugs And Cranks, a tremendous full-service baseball blog that also gives us this running Royals scrimmage with, of all people, Trev Alberts.

But on to the day games. We get a pair of West Caost-y getaway numbers today, featuring skinny dudes busted for performance-enhancing drugs, a slugging pitcher and the latest Japanese mound sensation...

Cleveland @ Los Anaheim, 1:35 Mountain At this point, the only thing that bugs me about the whole steroid mess is when people talk about "clean" players. Mark Grace oughta be in the Hall because he's "clean." Ken Griffey will be a worthy addition to the 600-HR club because he never did that shit. There's no way John Kruk was on juice, look at him. Nuts to all that. Paul Byrd was on the HGH, people. Paul Byrd. Paul Byrd looks like a toll collector and he can barely break the speed limit with his fastball. Today he starts against Dustin Moseley, who's totally clean.

LA Dodgers @ Arizona, 1:40 i didn't watch his start last Friday, but judging by his linescore Hiroki Kuroda is legit. His major league debut featured seven innings of three-hit ball, and if he can keep that up these Dodgers are going to be formidable until Brad Penny gets his annual injury. Today, under the rrof of Some Bank Stadium, he'll engage Micah Owings. Owings is known as as one of baseball's best-hitting pitchers, but did you know he's third on the all-time home-run list for high school players? It's true, or at least Wikipedia-true, which is pretty close.

Now get out there and Play Ball!
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Lineup Against The Wall: Los Angels Of Los Anaheim

The House of Georges celebrated our first anniversary last night, in true blogger fashion. We huddled in our moms' basements all over the country and drafted fake baseball teams on the StubTubeWebNets. It was rip-roarin' good time, and if you missed it you are totally lame.

Many of the usual suspects of this grand parade were present, including your Administrator Banky, your favorite author Cecil, and yours truly. Muscular commenters Rustoleum, Waveland21 and Brian also participated, as well as some other dumb asses suave cats. It got us all lathered up for the onset of baseball season, which is still over a week away, fuck.

I would take this opportunity to simultaneously critique my opponents' clubs and brag about my dominant team, but that would create a shitstorm no one wants. Nothing makes a man more sensitive and bitchy than criticizing his fantasy baseball team, and there are not enough tampons available to stem the tide of whine that would erupt if I went at it. So instead of highlighting the missteps of, say, Brian, in last night's draft, I'll simply take a swing at his favorite big-leaguers, the red-clad Angels of Orange County, California...

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (literal translation: The Angels of The Angels of the Green Chili Pepper) won the American League West last season, and seemed poised to run away with it again in '08 until their pitchers started dropping like flies. With Lackey and Escobar on the shelf, the Mariners are suddenly squarely in the picture (and don't sleep on the Rangers--just a hunch).

This leaves us with a scary proposition--the Angels may need to rely on their offense to make the playoffs this season.

Los Anaheim once again failed to land a franchise stick over the winter, so they will follow their tried-and-true formula: Sign an overpriced, complimentary centerfielder coming off a career year, run like hell, and hope for solid pitching.

Hey, it worked last year, even if the recipe didn't match up with the big guns in the AL playoffs. Mike Scoscia is the best manager in the game, and one of few that can actually impose a distinct style of play on millionaire asshole players. From that standpoint, perhaps it's better to acquire the Gary Matthewses and Torii Hunters of the baseball world, guys so thankful to be making huge salaries that they won't hesitate when asked to lay down a bunt or hit-and-run. I wonder if, had the Angels actually closed the deal on A-Rod or Miguel Cabrera, they would have transformed into a more traditional AL lineup and abandoned the old school baserunning chaos. That would have been a shame.

Anyway, here are your 2008 Angels, one through nine:

1. Gary Matthews Jr. LF
2. Chone Figgins 3B
3. Vladimir Guererro RF
4. Garret Anderson DH
5. Torii Hunter CF
6. Casey Kotchman 1B
7. Howie Kendrick 2B
8. Mike Napoli C
9. A shortstop

Right off the top, this team will feel the impact of losing Orlando Cabrera immediately. OC was a force in the 2-spot last year, and is the kind of all-around glue player that teams only miss when they're gone. The Red Sox have never replaced him. Look at what Orlando Hudson means to the Diamondbacks or Derek Jeter means to the Yankees, guys that do all the little things in all phases of the game.

I think it's a mistake to bat Little Sarge leadoff, that ought to be Chone Figgins territory. I would slot Kendrick second and see if the hype is legitimate. There's no real cleanup guy (this would have been A-Rod or Cabrera's spot), so bat Hunter fourth, Matthews fifth and let the rest sort itself out. You've got a big problem scoring, since you're starting below-average power at four power positions (DH, left, third and first). So you run, which again Scosci does better than anyone.

If Brandon Wood makes the club, you might get some slugging out of the shortstop spot again, and there's a chance Napoli blossoms or the Hunter/Matthews combo regain some of their contract-year pop. Kotchman is a good, patient hitter with gap power.

At best the Angels will deliver what they did last year, when they were an explosive, ferocious ground-based attack. They passed on the aerial circus of their eastern counterparts and turned in a symphony of magic on the basepaths. It's a tried-and-true, Joe-Morgan-endorsed strategy that requires a high level of discipline. I just worry that removing the Cabrera cog in the machine may cause the whole engine to sputter.

But if Jon Garland, who was traded for OC and is now a vital starting pitcher with Lackey and Escobar out, can't excel, it may not matter. Seattle, with a much easier April schedule, may open a lead on their SoCal counterparts that would be tough to trump. Until then, enjoy watching the Chili Peppers of the Right Angles sprint around the diamond.
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Baseball in the Daytime: 9-19-07

The fat man takes the mound today. Oh. Wait. No he doesn't. Ervin Santana does. Fat man's got a stiffystiffness in his back. But that's only one of three afternoon matchups today in the bigs. Perhaps the most important (in terms of playoff implications) comes in the form of an AL Central showdown, one that pits C.C. Sabathia of the Tribe against the Detroit Tigers and eight-game winning Nate Robertson, who, to say the least, has his work cut out for him. Catch it on the 182, XM style, at 11:05 Central.

But back to fat dudes with stiffness. The 6-13 Santana and his Los Californaheim Angels look to broom away Las Rayas del Diablo de Tampa Bay. Santana's foe comes in the form of former Royals hurler J.P. Howell who hopefully doesn't boast about his 1-4 record or his 7.36 ERA. Tune in to this matchup on the SatelliteRadios, aka the XM 179, around, say 2:35ish.

Finally, the team formerly known as the Kansas City As, hosts the still-alive Seattle Mariners. Though the visiting team's chances for a post-season bid continue to fade with the surgence of Yankee victories, they'll put their stock in 12-game winner Felix Hernandez today as he faces the winless Dan Meyer. This game airs at the same time the Angels/Rays game, only one channel lower on the XM dial. Catch the fever that is baseball in the daytime. Read more

Baseball in the Daytime: 9-6-07

As September gets rolling, superstars gear up for playoff baseball. Magglio Ordonez is no exception. His .353 average, 26 jacks and 120 RsBI help the Tigers notch wins when they're not busy losing, but he'll need some help from his teammates if they aim to close the seven-game gap between themselves and the Indians. Today, Magglio's Tigers face the AL Central's last place Chicago White Sox. Eight-game winner Chad Durbin takes the mound for Magglio's team; his counterpart is the 9-9 Mark Buehrle, a matchup that gets underway at 12:05 Central.

Other afternoon matinees involving last-place clubs include the battle between the NL Central's bottom-dwelling Pittsburgh Pirates and the third-place St. Louis Cardinals. The Pirates send righty Bryan Bullington, who hasn't seen big-league action since 2005, to square off against the Redbirds' five-game winning Mike Maroth. This pitching epic gets underway around 1:10 Central at the new (not the old, or the old old) Busch Stadium.

Finally, the Cubs look to cap off a winning home stand at 1:20 Central when they take on the NL West's third-place Los Angeles Dodgers. This Wrigley Field-staged duo of 11-game winning hurlers features Derek Lowe against Jason Marquis.

Only two other games in all of baseball are slated for this evening; the Orioles host the Red Sox at 6:05, while, on the west coast, the Tribe tries to take one from Los Anaheim. With that, the laziest baseball reporter in all of Missou-rah bids you a happy day of curve balls and pickles. Read more