Angels waiting to pay K-Rod (via Rob):

Rodriguez said Sunday the Angels have not made any overtures on a multiyear contract, which means he will earn somewhere in the neighborhood of $425,000 to $500,000 this season before becoming arbitration-eligible next season.

Clubs occasionally will offer players more money in their final year of club control in exchange for the player giving up one or more of his three arbitration-eligible seasons. But the Angels apparently are ready to let Rodriguez prove himself as a closer before paying him accordingly.

I think this is a very smart move on the Angels part. All you need to know is that K-Rod has been in the Angels' organization for a full six seasons and has never had a major arm injury. That is a HUGE red-flag when you have the Angels' reputation in pitching medicine. I say take the risk - being on the hook for a little more money for a healthy closer is better than being on the hook for a pitcher on the DL.

Escobar throws off mound

Lovely. I've spoken to more than a few Angels fans who were genuinely concerned about Escobar's dead-arm. Judging from what happened to the Angels last spring, I can't say I blame them.

Angels tire of Weaver negotiations

From today's Register (at the very bottom):

Still slightly more than $2 million apart in negotiations with first-round pick Jered Weaver, the Angels are giving indications they might soon shelve the talks. Team executives indicate they might let Weaver re-enter the draft on June 7

You ever think that if the two sides spent less time negotiating through the media and more time sitting face-to-face at a table, something might have already gotten done?

Still no sign of Morales

12 days and counting. The Angels still have no clue when Morales will get his status in Dominican worked-out. All that we can say for sure is that with every day that passes, Morales is less and less likely to see any time in the bigs this season. And it sounds like Mike Scioscia could be losing his patients: "As the days go by, it's not making his job of learning our system and our job of evaluating him any easier."

Lebanese government resigns in face of mounting pressure.

Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine, Egypt, UAE, Lebanon, Syria, Iran...

UPDATE: Pictures from the protests.

It’s scary to stop and think that this is as well as we understand each other:

But when Bush talked about the Kremlin's crackdown on the media and explained that democracies require a free press, the Russian leader gave a rebuttal that left the President nonplussed. If the press was so free in the U.S., Putin asked, then why had those reporters at CBS lost their jobs? Bush was openmouthed. "Putin thought we'd fired Dan Rather," says a senior Administration official. "It was like something out of 1984."

That may be the first time someone has suggested that a conservative was running CBS News.

A thought: Does Putin honestly believe that he’s at the helm of a "western-style democracy" in Russia because he keeps hearing Democrats bitch and moan about stolen elections in Florida and Ohio?

Angels press release:

TEMPE, AZ - The Angels Friday agreed to terms on 2005 contracts with infielders Dallas McPherson, Maicer Izturis, Alberto Callaspo, left-handed pitcher Tim Bittner, right-handed pitchers Scott Dunn and Ervin Santana and catcher Jeff Mathis. This announcement was made by club Vice President/General Manager Bill Stoneman. Per club policy, no financial terms of the contracts will be released.

32 down, eight to go...

What I'm wondering is why was Fred Durst walking around with a home-made porno in his pocket? Is it because he's such a perverted s.o.b. that he has to rub one off in every public restroom he passes, or was it just in case he has to prove that he's not gay?

Disney to divest final sports venture - sells to local billionaire.

Sweet. Hopefully this will end any talk of the Ducks becoming victims of contraction when the league decides to get rid of all those disastrous sun-belt expansion franchises.

UPDATE: In case you're wondering, the "bill" is $50-60 million. Get it? Bill - like a duck? *insert rim shot here*

Weaver makes concession

Finally, some details:

First-round pick Jered Weaver has made a significant concession in an effort to break the stalemate in his negotiations with the Angels, knocking roughly $2.5 million off his asking price.

...

The new asking price is four years, $8 million. If Weaver doesn't sign by June 7, he would reenter the draft, and the Angels would lose their rights to him.

Anyone else notice that this number on the table from the Boras camp is eerily similar to the number being proposed by Rich Lederer? The Angels would probably being willing to go to $8 million (at least I hope they would), but they would need it extended over five years.

So the two camps are still quite a ways apart. But at least there is finally movement - that can only be a good thing.

UPDATE: Rob has a Daily News article that says the Angels have a $7m offer on the table. Can it really be this close?

Callaspo back to second

As expected, the Angels will move Alberto Callaspo back to second base, where he belongs. He'll be reunited with former double-play partner Erick Aybar at AA Arkansas.

Morales, Rivera still stuck

In the same article as above, it appears that the passport troubles for both Juan Rivera and Kendry Morales were previously understated. Earlier this week the Angels were saying the pair should arrive in camp this weekend. Well, now their ETA has been push back to the middle of next week, at best.

Fellow Bearflager Digger's Realm has been all over the story of the Pearcy family of Berkeley, CA. This is the couple that hung an American solder in effigy at their home and have expressed solidarity with Palestinian suicide bombers. They also posted a sign reading "Fuck SUVs" on their Porsche - a vehicle that received an air pollution rating of two from the EPA (on a scale of 1-10, ten being the most eco-friendly). These people are truly the scum of the Earth - anti-American, anti-Semitic, hypocritical and cowardly. In other words, the toast of the Berkeley intelligentsia.

See all of his entries on the subject here.

John Sickles has his much awaited list of the top-20 Angels prospects up. Here's the top five:

1. Casey Kotchman, 1B
2. Dallas McPherson, 3B
3. Erick Aybar, SS
4. Kendry Morales, OF-1B
5. Howie Kendrick, 2B

I have to question Kendry Morales at number four, a guy virtually no one has seen and for whom we don't even have complete stats over his professional career. I also take umbrage with Kendrick at five (ahead of such names as Shell, Santana, Callaspo, Wood and Moseley), for the reasons I mention in my recently posted report.

Bio:

Name:     Howard Joseph Kendrick
Birthday: July 12,1983 (21 on Opening Day) 
Height:   5-10
Weight:   170
Bats:     Right
Throws:   Right
Position: 2B
Acquired: Draft
Drafted:  2002, 10th round (294), ANA
Roster:   Minor League
Contract: n/a

Stats, last five seasons (complete):

YEAR(L)   G   AB  R   H   2B 3B HR  RBI BB SO  SB CS AVG  OBP  SLG  OPS
----------|---|---|---|---|--|--|---|---|--|---|--|--|----|----|----|--
2002(R)   42  157 24  50  6  4  0   13  7  11  12 6  .318 .368 .408 776
2003(R)   63  234 65  86  20 3  3   36  24 28  8  3  .368 .434 .517 951
2004(A)   75  313 66  115 24 6  10  49  12 41  15 6  .367 .398 .578 976

Hitting:

Kendrick has struggled to distinguish himself from the Angels other middle infield prospects – the deepest spot in the organization. He tends to get buried on many lists under names like Aybar, Callaspo, and Wood. This despite the fact that Kendrick easily out-matches oft-touted Aybar in terms of raw power (30.3 XBH%). On the other hand, he’s a wildly free swinger and can be rather streaky. He’ll need to make strides in plate discipline, lest he be overmatched at the higher levels.

Defense/Baserunning:

Kendrick is considered to be nothing better than average at second. He’s certainly not as good as Callaspo was at the position. He’s speedy, but again, not as speedy as Callaspo, and could stand to be more selective on the basepaths.

2005 Outlook:

Many people consider Kendrick to be one of the top 2B prospects in all of baseball. I’m not buying it. At least not until he shows the ability to work the count and proves that he can hit for power above low-A ball. Right now I’ve got him somewhere below Callaspo (assuming his future is at second), and probably just outside the Angels top-ten.

Maybe it's best to avoid the scare quotes around "reporter" and "news" when you're executing a hatchet-job for one of the most biased media outlets in the nation. What goes around, comes around, you know?

I few minutes ago I downloaded the highly-inspiring call from the final seconds of the 1980 Olympic hockey "Miracle on Ice." Filename? doyoubelieve.mp3

A few moments later I opened my favorite MP3 playlist, which includes several tracks from the band Stabbing Westward. Filename? idontbelieve.m3u - named for the first track on the list, by the aforementioned band.


The world is crazy sometimes.

Maya's back, with a bunch of pictures from fan fest.

Morales stuck in Dominican Republic

Story of the Angels' life - Kendry Morales is having document troubles:

The Angels said Kendry Morales was having trouble obtaining his passport from the Dominican Republic and he figures to be several days late. Morales, who defected from Cuba, established Dominican citizenship to sign as a free agent with a major-league team.

I would imagine that if Morales misses any time during spring training, you can pretty much rule out his chances of starting the season on the active roster.

Kennedy rehab schedule revealed

The LA Times reports:

"Adam Kennedy's rehabilitation from knee surgery is progressing well, and the second baseman is scheduled to begin taking ground balls on March 1. Until then, he will continue to throw and participate in agility drills and treadmill workouts.

They've got his return pegged in "early June," while the latest Angels mailbag says "late May."

Daily dose of Weaver speculation

Any day now...

It's so obvious!


I know, I know - it's out there. Just imagine for second (for the sake of argument) that the Holocaust really did happen. EVEN THOUGH WE ALL KNOW IT WAS A ZIONIST PLOT!!!!

Keep speaking truth to power! Now where are my meds?

*Read this and this.

Blogging superstars Rich Lederer (of Rich's Weekend Baseball Beat) and Bryan Smith (of Wait Til Next Year) have joined forces to create a new blogopoly - The Baseball Analysts. I'm telling you, one day soon you'll be able to read all your favorite bloggers in one place - and I'm not talking about using a feed reader.

Huge story about Kendry Morales in yesterday's New York Times Magazine. (Registration required, but I'm sure you'll figure something out.)

K-Rod arrives in Tempe

With his visa problems solved, Francisco Rodriguez participated in his first spring training drills yesterday (Ed. Sorry, the article isn't online at the moment). What were his "visa problems" you ask? According to Francisco himself, it was nothing more than long lines at the US Embassy. The OC Register seems to think the delay was due to the growing tensions between the Bush administration and Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chavez. Whatever it was, I'm sure the Angels would really rather their three Venezuelan players (Frankie, Kelvim Escobar, and Juan Rivera) would consider staying stateside rather than heading back to their troubled homeland every winter.

Speaking of K-Rod, in that same OC Register story it is noted that The Sporting News made the highly dubious claim - attributed to "unnamed scouts" - that Rodriguez's velocity had taken a noticeable dip during the Winter League campaign. Bill Stoneman denies this, and his numbers (1.50 ERA, 32 SO, 18 IP) don't lend much credence to the story, either.

Escobar has the dead-arm

The Angels have shut-down last season's staff ace for "a week to ten days" with tightness in his right (pitching) arm. Nothing to worry about - dead-arm is a rite of spring for every pitcher. It's a bit early in the spring for it to start, but not surprising when you read that Escobar "did not pick up a baseball for three months" following last season.

Arrested Development cancelled?

You people suck.

The biggest bitch in the whole-wide world

A woman in Colorado sued two teenage girls who had the gall to leave cookies on her doorstep. She won. Now she can't understand why everyone in town hates her. End of story.

Congressman drinks the Kool-Aid

Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) has accused Karl Rove of forging the TANG memos that were the source of the whole "Ra^thergate" scandal:

"Probably the most flagrant example of that is the way they set up Dan Rather. Now, I mean, I have my own beliefs about how that happened: it originated with Karl Rove, in my belief, in the White House. They set that up with those false papers. Why did they do it? They knew that Bush was a draft dodger... And so what they did was, expecting that that was going to come up, they accentuated it: they produced papers that made it look even worse. And they — and they distributed those out to elements of the media."

Unfortunately for Mr. Hinchey, unlike in the case of Eason Jordan, there is a tape, and it has been released. Now let the back-pedaling begin!

I have risen from my NyQuil induced slumber for... links!

• What's the big idea, Arte? Rob has the details on Arte hinting at a possible move in retaliation to the city's continuing legal pursuits (go fuck yourself Arte), and the possibility of an Angels TV Network. Wouldn't a TV network sort of defeat the stated purpose of the name change?
  
  
• More on the Weaver negotiations from Rich Lederer:

  Jered Weaver is seeking a package in the $10-million range; the Angels would prefer to pay something closer to $5 million.

  I don't know exactly what is meant by "prefer to pay something closer to $5 million". Is that just wishful thinking, or are the Angels holding fast at that number? If that is the current state of the negotiations, then I don't see a whole lot of reason for hope.
  
  
• NHL season saved? I guess I should start boning-up on the Ducks. Can you believe that at one point I could reel-off the name of every last Duck’s player? At this point I doubt I could name more than five or six.
  
  
• Andrew Bolt, of Australia’s Herald Sun, gives a vicious Fisking to The Age's "10 Reasons to Start Worrying [About Global Warming] Now"
  
  A major newspaper Fisking another major newspaper? Why don't we get more of this in America?

This is what happens to Americans who spend too much time in England:

The left side of the blogosphere (led by Matthew Yglesias) is up in arms about this Powerline post in which John Hinderaker states that Jimmy Carter is "on the other side" - a subtle suggestion that the former President is guilty of some sort of treason. It seems a ridiculous statement on the surface, yes, but if this claim from Newsmax is true, it’s not so ridiculous:

Soviet diplomatic accounts and material from the archives show that in January 1984 former President Jimmy Carter dropped by Soviet Ambassador Anatoly Dobrynin's residence for a private meeting.

Carter expressed his concern about and opposition to Reagan's defense buildup. He boldly told Dobrynin that Moscow would be better off with someone else in the White House. If Reagan won, he warned, "There would not be a single agreement on arms control, especially on nuclear arms, as long as Reagan remained in power."

...

Hammer pleaded with the Russians for help. He asked if the Kremlin could expand Jewish emigration to bolster Carter's standing in the polls.

"Carter won't forget that service if he is elected," Hammer told Dobrynin.

Conspiring with the Soviets to effect the outcome of the American democratic process? I call that treason. What do Democrats call it?

In the mail: SI Swimsuit Edition. Favorite pics:

1. Mallory Snyder, pg. 128
2. Anne V, pg. 178
3. Anne V (again), pg. 184
4. Petra Nemcova, pg. 59
5. Amanda Beard, pg. 167 (Ohhh, those eyes...)

Star of the show: Mallory Snyder. What can I say? I'm a sucker for redheads.
Hottest wife: Stephanie McGwire (as in Mark McGwire). As noted by Rob a couple of days ago.
The "please leave - you're ruining the fantasy" award: Venus Williams. That girl was not built for swimwear.

Rotoworld has posted their top-ten prospects for the Angels (and the rest of the AL West). No real surprises:

1. Casey Kotchman
2. Dallas McPherson
3. Kendry Morales
4. Ervin Santana
5. Jeff Mathis
6. Steven Shell
7. Erick Aybar
8. Brandon Wood
9. Alberto Callaspo
10. Howie Kendrick

I've still got McPherson ahead of Kotchman, but I may be the only one. Also, I feel that they've rated Mathis a little too highly. I would put him below Shell at the very least, and likely Aybar/Wood as well.

OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG!

Homosexuality is so normal that YOU MUST NEVER, EVER MAKE LIGHT OF IT!

Buster Olney has his "Spring Capsules" for the AL up. Everyone go point and laugh.

Actually, for the first time... perhaps ever... I agree with something Buster Olney has written. Sort of. Behold:

But if Vlad doesn't hit for some reason, or if he's hurt, the Angels' attack would suddenly look very thin; no player this side of Barry Bonds is more important to his team's offense than Guerrero is to the Angels. They've got to keep him healthy and on the field.

I take this to mean that Olney feels the Angels are too dependent on Vlad, which I would have to agree with. Of course this would contradict a statement from Olney earlier in that same paragraph, in which he states that "the Anaheim lineup should be tough and deep and efficient..." So which one is it Buster? Are they "deep", or are they overly-dependent on one slugger?

Bio:

Name:     Kevin Martin Jepsen
Birthday: July 26,1984  (20 on Opening Day) 
Height:   6-3
Weight:   200
Bats:     Right
Throws:   Right
Position: P
Acquired: Draft
Drafted:  2002, 2nd round (53), ANA
Roster:   Min. League
Contract: n/a

Stats (complete):

YEAR(L)   G  GS IP    H   R  ER  HR BB SO  H/9 W/9 K/9  W  L  ERA  WHIP
----------|--|--|-----|---|--|---|--|--|---|---|---|----|--|--|----|---
2003(A)   10 10 51.0  32  24 15  2  28 42  5.7 4.9 7.4  6  3  2.65 1.18
2004(A)   27 27 144.0 122 68 55  6  77 136 7.6 4.8 8.5  2  1  3.43 1.38

Pitching:

Pitch selection: 1) Fastball (mid-high 90's), 2) power slider, 3) change. Fastball averages 94-96 MPH. Developing change. Has difficulties with location.

Jepsen is the second most intriguing arm in the Angels' system (behind only Santana). All the scouts agree - his stuff is as electric as anybody (8.5 K/9 ratio), but so far he hasn't shown the ability to control it (4.8 W/9 ratio). He's also considered to be an injury risk, having missed time during 2003 season with an elbow injury.

Outlook:

Jepsen will continue to be a border-line prospect until he shows that he can cut back on the walks. He'll also have to continue to develop a solid offspeed pitch to compete at higher levels (if he's unable to develop a servicable change, he may find his way into the bullpen). Jepsen's not on the Angels radar yet, but he definitely has the stuff to be one of the system's best. Look for him at AA Arkansas this coming season. ETA: 2008?

Rob: "The Yankees thought they were getting an ace. Instead, they're apparently getting Dr. Death."


I have slightly different theory:

I've got nothing to say. Just couldn't allow this mini-milestone to go unmarked.

The Angels have lost a fan (HT: Musings)

ANAHEIM ? In her 106 years, Florence Carlton never drank or smoked or had a cup of coffee. But she loved her Anaheim Angels.

Carlton was an avid fan for more than 30 years and kept careful track of player statistics as she caught every game on TV, surrounded by team caps, shirt and, of course, a rally monkey.

When she died on Feb. 9, she was unaware of the flap over the team's name change. Her daughter was afraid it might upset her.

What makes a person hang-on for 106 years? More importantly, without booze and coffee, why would you want to?

Baseball America has an article up about Scott Boras' two top clients in the 2005 draft - Jered Weaver and Stephen Drew, both of whom have yet to sign. There's nothing we haven't heard before regarding Weaver ("...Scott Boras... progress... Mark Prior... blah, blah, blah..."), but it's interesting nonetheless.

UPDATE: Weaver and Drew were part of the '04 draft class. Just a slip of the finger.

Bio:

Name:     Delvin Dewayne James
Birthday: January 3,1978 (27 on Opening Day) 
Height:   6-4
Weight:   222
Bats:     Right
Throws:   Right
Position: P
Acquired: Minor League Free Agent (2004)
Drafted:  1996, 14th round (424), TB
Roster:   Min. League
Contract: n/a

Stats (complete):

YEAR(L)   G  GS IP    H   R   ER  HR  BB  SO  H/9  W/9 K/9  W  L  ERA  WHIP
----------|--|--|-----|---|---|---|---|---|---|----|---|----|--|--|----|---
2002(AA)  3  1  13.0  12  7   5   2   2   13  8.5  1.4 9.2  1  2  3.55 1.14
2002(AAA) 7  7  34.0  41  15  15  4   4   26  10.8 1.1 6.8  2  1  3.93 1.31
2002(MLB) 8  6  34.1  40  25  25  5   15  17  10.5 3.9 4.5  0  3  6.55 1.60
2003(AAA) 34 21 138.0 172 91  80  21  36  65  11.2 2.4 4.3  5  10 5.23 1.51
2004(AAA) 4  4  20.0  24  12  11  3   8   6   11.0 3.7 2.8  0  1  5.03 1.63

Pitching:

Pitch selection: 1) Fastball (high 90's), 2) Change, 3) Curve, 4) Slider. Works predominately off fastball. Fastball averages 94-96 MPH and has been clocked as high as 99 MPH. Throws curve to lefties and sliders to righties.

James was a former DRays farm hand and was once considered a fairly high-ceiling prospect. Drafted out of Nacogdoches (TX) High School having only played baseball his senior year, he slowly but surely rose through the Tampa Bay organization and saw substantial Major League action in 2002. That same season, James' career was put in serious jeopardy when he was shot three times in the left arm during an incident at a Raleigh, NC restaurant. Amazingly, he was back pitching in a matter of days - and pitching well enough to be recalled to the majors just 10 days after being shot. He couldn’t make it back to the majors in 2003, and was to allowed to walk as a 6th-year free agent after the season. James started the 2004 season with the Marlins, but when he failed to catch-on out of Spring Training he joined the Angels organization. He only appeared in 4 games for the Stingers, all relatively early in the season (injury?). Whatever happened to James last season, he appears to be fully healthy heading into 2005 and was extended an invitation to Spring Training.

Outlook:

Despite his age, James would tell you that he's still learning how to pitch. He's a project, and you know how much the Angels love pitching projects. Unfortunately James is a power-pitcher who doesn't strike out many hitters and finds far too many bats, and at 27 there's not a whole lot of time for him to put everything together. I seriously doubt this small gamble will pan out for the Angels. Expect to see him spend the season in the rotation at AAA Salt Lake. ETA: Never.

The California GOP has officially endorsed Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 2006 Gubernatorial election. Well duh.

A while back Matt Welch turned me on to a new column in the Times called "Outside the Tent", which gives column inches to some of the paper's many critics. At the time I said I would "take out a subscription the day they give Patterico some print." So, I guess I'm a new subscriber.

From the mouth of Mike Scioscia during today's AngelFest activities, as heard by Joe.

In his e-mail Joe suggests that Erstad batting leadoff is my "worst nightmare." Not really - it's far better than Erstad batting 2, 5, or 6 (as he did several times last season). I subscribe to the theory that you keep your worst hitter as far away from your best hitter as possible, so assuming that the Angels best hitter will fill the 3 spot, Erstad batting leadoff is preferable to Erstad batting second (despite the 20 or-so extra at-bats that will bring).

Erstad batting 8th or 9th (or not at all) would be the dream scenario. But hey, Scioscia could - and likely will - do worse!

In today's Register, the first part of a four part series on baseball in the Dominican Republic. Today it's the life of Dominican superstars - targets in their own homes:

Guns are everywhere in the country. At Guerrero's house, one of his brothers had a pistol sitting in his lap while a group played dominoes. Fitzgerald Astacio ? who works with the agents representing Guerrero, Tejada and Martinez ? tucks a nickel- plated .45 magnum under the seat of his black Lexus sport utility vehicle as he heads to the airport to pick up Martinez. Many drivers carry weapons in Santo Domingo.

Good stuff. Somewhat surprising that it's coming from the Register.

UPDATE: Here's the accompanying photo of Vlad with his family in their home in Nizao:

Drudge flash: "USA USING 'DRONE' AIRCRAFT TO SPY ON IRAN." Is that supposed to shock me? Because it doesn't. In fact, I would be shocked (and appalled, for that matter) to learn that we weren't spying on the most dangerous regime on Earth with all the technology at our disposal.

From yesterday's LA Times:

Negotiations between the Angels and the representative for first-round draft pick Jered Weaver are ongoing, and although a deal does not appear imminent, the sides seem to be making progress. Weaver, the former Long Beach State ace who was the 12th overall pick, is seeking a signing package in the $10-million range.

"We're still in the initial negotiating process, talking about the market, having dialogue, exchanging proposals," agent Scott Boras said. "Everyone wants to get this resolved. Certainly, we're trying to move this forward, but you have to understand, Jered is not your typical draft pick. He's major league ready."

So much for Rich Lederer's unamed sources. Oh well - we won't hold it against him.

I'm back. Well, my computer is back, with a new video-card capable of playing Half-Life 2/Farcry/Doom 3/any-number-of-games-I've-been-waiting-to-play flawlessly.

Anyway, here's what I missed:

• Not a whole lot of Angels news from what I can see. Some guy ranked the Angels rotation 5th best in the AL, which sounds about right (IMO, the Angels, Jays, ChiSox and A's are completely interchangeable). Rob comments that he's expecting a "near-total collapse of [Bartolo Colon] this season." I was under the impression that last season saw a near-total collapse of Bartolo Colon - it's a scary thought that 2005 could be any worse.
  
  
• That John Sickles blog I mentioned a while back is now up. That's some kind of coup for the Kos stable of bloggers.
  
  
• Speaking of Kos, does it get any more despicable than this? Lets imagine for a second that a journalist asked the President an openly biased-to-the-left question (I know, I know - it's a real stretch), and it was the right side of the blogosphere attempting to destroy his credibility by suggesting he was a homosexual. Can you imagine the outcry from the Kossaks?
  
  The "tolerance" of the left never ceases to amaze me.
  
  
• Media Matters is claiming that FDR's quote about private investment in Social Security was being taken out of context. Here's the speech, decide for yourself.

  "In the important field of security for our old people, it seems necessary to adopt three principles--first, noncontributory old-age pensions for those who are now too old to build up their own insurance; it is, of course, clear that for perhaps thirty years to come funds will have to be provided by the states and the federal government to meet these pensions. Second, compulsory contributory annuities, which in time will establish a self-supporting system for those now young and for future generations. Third, voluntary contributory annuities by which individual initiative can increase the annual amounts received in old age. It is proposed that the federal government assume one-half of the cost of the old-age pension plan, which ought ultimately to be supplanted by self-supporting annuity plans."

  That sounds an awful lot like the President's plan to me...

Alchemist has a translation for the Angels' crazy Korean cartoon^©!

I might have a photoshop tomorrow.

In my opinion, Wikipedia is the most valuable resource on the internet. Unfortunately it's greatest strength is also it's greatest weakness - people. Like blogs, Wikis can bring together experts in literally every subject, from every corner of the globe. But it also brings together the asshats that enjoy spoiling it for everyone through spamming the articles with ads, jokes, and politcal statements. For instance, take a look at the list of Presidents of the United States. (I grabbed a screen, because it will get fixed soon enough.)


Wishful thinking, I'd say.

The DiamondBacks have hired Bill Singer as a major league scout. If you'll recall, Singer was the man who hurled racial insults at Dodger assistant GM Kim Ng at a 2003 meeting of GMs (nearly getting his ass kicked by Brian Cashman in the process).

I'm sure Singer is a perfectly nice man, and that alcohol played a bigger role in the incident than did racism. Having said that, how can the DBacks square this hire with the firing of Wally Backman? Strange code of ethics they've got going there.

...but this guy puts me to shame. Sorry Angels - no such deal. Best I can give you is a finger.

I just borrowed C.A. Tripp's The Intimate World of Abraham Lincoln - the one that makes the case for Lincoln's homosexuality - from a friend. With all this talk about Abraham Lincoln being gay (which I don't buy, BTW. Look, the man fathered four children. If he was gay, there was some serious taffy-pulling going on.), I'm wondering why there's not more gay pride over James Buchanan - a President who was quite obviously gay. Perhaps it's because he was easily the worst President the nation has ever seen? Still, it seems like it would be a bigger deal.

Is Chief Justice Rehnquist "Deep Throat?" (via Ace)

It makes perfect sense now that I think about it. It looks like we'll know for sure sometime in the coming days. (I feel bad - it's almost as though I'm rooting for the death of an old man just to quench my curiosity.)

UPDATE: Chronicles has shown me the error of my ways (an error in calculating extra bases, FYI). He was 100% right, as usual. I just want to note that this started as a post to defend his numbers. But when I kept coming up with a different result, I had to figure out why. Turns out it was stupidity, as usual.

The continuing saga of those crazy Korean cartoons... um... continues.

You wanted an A's cartoon, eh? Well, be careful what you wish for - Octavio Dotel with a hard-on. Yes, you read that correctly (oh, how I wish you hadn't...).

UPDATE: I took the liberty of photoshoping the Dodgers cartoon so it reflects the translation left by fanerman91 in Rob's comment section. I didn't touch the Izturis cell, because frankly, I don't get the joke.

Bio:

Name:     Matthew Davis Hensley
Birthday: August 18, 1978 (26 on Opening Day) 
Height:   6-2
Weight:   215
Bats:     Right
Throws:   Right
Position: P
Acquired: Draft
Drafted:  2000, 10th round (290), ANA
Roster:   40-man
Contract: TBA

Stats, last three seasons (complete):

YEAR(L)   G  GS  IP    H   R   ER HR BB SO  H/9  W/9 K/9  W  L  ERA  WHIP
----------|--|---|-----|---|---|--|--|--|---|----|---|----|--|--|----|---
2002(A)   12 2   32.0  42  21  19 3  11 27  11.9 3.1 7.7  1  1  5.40 1.67
2002(AAA) 19 18  118.0 132 76  65 16 39 106 10.1 3.0 8.1  7  5  4.97 1.45
2003(AAA) 27 27  158.0 194 105 86 16 49 85  11.0 2.8 4.8  8  12 4.27 1.53
2004(AAA) 30 0   43.0  29  16  14 6  12 49  6.1  2.5 10.3 1  3  2.93 0.95
2004(MLB) 16 0   27.2  32  15  15 5  7 30  10.4 2.3 9.8  0  2  4.88 1.41

Pitching:

Pitch selection: 1) fastball (low 90s), 2) change, 3) unidentified breaking pitch (sinker?). A finesse/control type pitcher. When Hensley's control is on he keeps hitters off-balance and is a highly effective pitcher. When off, Hensley's unimpressive fastball can become batting practice (as evidenced by his 10.2 H/9 in his minor league career).

Hensley was converted to relief in 2004 after struggling in a starting role during the 2002 and 2001 campaigns. He responded with the best season of his career, allowing less than a hit an inning the first time while improving his strikeouts (career-high 10.3 K/9) and continuing his pinpoint control. He also got his first shot at the big show, collecting 30 strikeouts in just 27 innings and putting himself in the mix for 2005.

Outlook:

Hensley either found himself a home in the bullpen, or his vastly improved 2004 numbers were an outlier. He’ll start the season as Salt Lake’s relief ace, and if he proves the former to be true, he will see substantial time in Anaheim. I’m not sure he’ll ever be a guy you’d want on the mound in late-game pressure situations, but he can be a solid contributor at a low cost – something the Angels love.

Have you ever seen a team in the Eagles position play with less urgency? They must have burnt a good solid minute during that last drive due to their refusal to play no-huddle. If you're too tired to turn up the intensity in the fourth quarter of the Superbowl, just get off the field - you don't belong there.

Anyway, congratulations to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots on winning their second title (because we all know they stole the first one).

A while back I mentioned my inability to build a bullpen for my sim league team, and my status as perennial also-ran. Well, I'm proud to say that the Detroit Drive mashed their way to the teams first league title, collecting 106 wins in the process. This feat was due in no small part to the best bullpen in the league, which I assembled almost entirely from cheap spare parts and journeymen. Yes, I'm very proud of myself.

Here are the five guys who ate-up the lion's share of the bullpen's innings. Keep in mind that it was a hitter's league, with a park-neutral ERA of 4.76 and a miniscule K/9 ratio of 5.78. Also, despite it being a hitter's league, the starters tend to throw a lot more innings than in real life, hence the low IP for relievers:

Name        APP IP    SV K   BB BAA  ERA 
------------|---|-----|--|---|--|----|---
J. Boyce    61  67.2  0  47  18 .224 2.53
C. Kline    81  94.2  1  72  22 .206 2.28
B. Taylor   63  59.1  38 39  15 .186 2.12
M. Turner   43  58.0  2  42  20 .224 2.33
V. Turner   57  50.0  0  23  14 .247 2.70

OK, I'm done. Carry on...

Philadelphia 24, New England 21.

New England is the better team, sure. But you know what they say about "any given Sunday", and it's not as though the Eagles are a cupcake. They aren't deserving of being on the wrong side of all these predictions. When the public opinion is this united, it feels like God is setting us up for a huge fall (maybe he's got money riding on this one?) - that's why I've got Philly by a hair.

Ronald Reagan would have been 94 today. The man was held one rung below God in my household growing up. (Seriously - the hallway featured a portrait of the Virgin Mary on one wall, with signed and framed headshots of Reagan and Goldwater on the opposing wall. It's rather scary looking back on it.) I can't say the man was an influence on me directly, but it's doubtful I would have taken the ideological path I did had it not been for the praise heaped upon him everyday of my childhood.

Alchemist has a few thoughts, and here's a cool tribute.

Reuters headline: "Cheney won't run for president, not even if begged"

He thinks he'll be begged to run? That's a bit of wishful thinking on Cheney's part. We've already moved on, bro.

RedReporter linked to this Korean cartoon, which he described as "seriously bizarre, and yet strangely hilarious." I would have to agree on both counts. And yes, there is an Angels cartoon:


I don't suppose anyone can translate? Not that it really needs it...

UPDATE: What in God's name is happening here!?



UPDATE: And here?

Five years, $75 million, with incentives that can add two more years. That's too much money and far too many years. Although, there is supposedly a clause that allows the Tigers to void the contract if Ordonez's knee injury returns.

Ah, the good 'ol link roundup - the laziest form of blogging. But hey, that's me!

• Crank points to an article in the Daily Standard by Dean Barnett (appropriately under the title "Krazy"), about the celebrity of Markos Moulitsas. Apparently Kos has been advocating a primary challenge against moderate Democrat Joseph Lieberman. "Burn all the moderates! That'll save our party." Whatever Kos - pick your horse. Maybe you'll have better luck this time around.
  
  
• Former president supports private accounts:

  "[Social Security plans should include] voluntary contributory annuities, by which individual initiative can increase the annual amounts received in old age."

  The president? Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Of course it's entirely possible that he was simply lying through his teeth in order to placate his adversaries (as history has shown he was prone to do) and get the country to go along with a bit of "small-s" socialism. Still, he said it.
  
  
• Michael Moore on Mel Gibson and The Passion of the Christ (via Tim Blair):

  On the subject of Gibson's biblical opus, Moore tells Vanity Fair, "If I were to make a movie, it would be about turning the other cheek... And the meek shall inherit the earth." Moore added he was disturbed at, "How easily the vulnerable can be manipulated, twisted by images on the screen."

  "Disturbed?" Of all people, the last man who should be disturbed by film propaganda is Michael Moore - a man who has made his living off the genre for the last decade. Besides, what was the ideology being pushed by Mel Gibson other than a whole-hearted belief in the new testament of the Bible (something you presumably had before you walked into the theater)?

Look at the second image on this page. And while you're at it, look at the rest. They're all hilarious.

The annual ritual of renewing the contracts of baseball's indentured servants. The Angels started down that long road today by signing Robb Quinlan, Matt Hensley, and Joe Saunders. That brings the number of players the Angels have under "major league" contracts to 21 - so just 19 more deals to get done before the season begins.

Terms were not disclosed, but it's likely all three were signed for the major league minimum of $316,000. Now don't take that to mean these guys are going to make $316,000 for playing in the minor leagues for most or all of next season - they only get that money if they're on the "active" 25-man roster. Otherwise they'll receive the minor league minimum of $52,600. Still, it's good work if you can get it.

Bio:

Name:     Kevin Marschall Gregg
Birthday: June 20, 1978 (26 on Opening Day) 
Height:   6-6
Weight:   200
Bats:     Right
Throws:   Right
Position: P
Acquired: Minor league free agent (2002)
Drafted:  1996, 15th round (435), OAK
Roster:   25-man
Contract: TBA

Stats (complete):

YEAR(L)   G  GS  IP    H   R  ER HR BB SO  H/9 W/9 K/9  W  L  ERA  WHIP
----------|--|---|-----|---|--|--|--|--|---|---|---|----|--|--|----|---
2003(AA)  15 11  66.0  60  29 26 2  19 60  8.1 2.6 8.1  4  2  3.53 1.19
2003(AAA) 15 15  92.0  90  47 41 10 18 75  8.8 1.8 7.4  7  4  4.03 1.18
2003(MLB) 5  3   24.2  18  9  9  3  8  14  6.6 2.9 5.1  2  0  3.28 1.05
2004(MLB) 55 0   87.2  86  43 41 6  28 84  8.8 2.9 8.6  5  2  4.21 1.30
----------|--|---|-----|---|--|--|--|--|---|---|---|----|--|--|----|---
MLB TOTAL:60 3   112.1 104 52 50 9  36 98  8.3 2.8 7.8  7  2  4.01 1.25

Pitching:

Pitch selection: 1) fastball (low 90s), 2) split-finger, 3) change.

Split-finger can be a plus out-pitch at times, but is also prone to fits of wildness. Gregg was credited with 13 wild pitches last season (including 4 in a single inning on 7/25/04 - a major league record), all of them coming on splitters. Slow, jerky delivery. Stands up-right on the rubber. Uses a slide-step at all times. A starter througout his minor league career, Gregg tends to wear down as the season drags on, and likely projects as a middle reilever or spot starter.

The Angels picked Gregg up as a minor league free agent in 2002, after the Athletics lost interest in him. He rewarded the Angels' faith by putting together solid campaigns at AA and AAA, earning a cup of coffee in the process. Gregg opened some eyes during spring training the following year, and found himself with a spot on the opening-day roster after Brendan Donnelly went down with an injury. He did not give up that spot, turning himself into a key component of the Angels stellar bullpen.

Outlook:

Like every other member of the Angels' bullpen, Gregg moves into a new role with the departure of Troy Percival. He will now be called upon to fill many of the innings Scot Shields tossed last season. That means we're going to see Gregg in some pressure situations in middle and late relief rather than the garbage time he was pitching last season. Can he handle the added pressure, or is he better suited to long relief? Projected line: 3.90 ERA, 85 IP.

What was Cole Hamels best decision of the night?

1. Getting himself into a drunken bar-room brawl?
   
   
2. Breaking his pitching hand in said brawl?
   
   
3. Lying about said brawl to police?

He'll learn eventually - they all do.

Rob has a first-hand account of Matt Welch's sports journalism discussion last night in Hollywood. Unfortunately I was unable to attend, and my disappointment at missing both this and the State of the Union knows no bounds. At least I can catch the SOTU on CSPAN - no such luck for a panel duscussion at the LA Press Club. Webcast anyone?

The guys from Mariner Musings have boarded the 'The Good Ship Mariner'.

It's good for the greedy faceless corporation, sure, but what of the blog consumer? USS Mariner now controls over 1/30th of the Mariner's blogosphere! Where's the choice?

John Sickles has his top ten prospects up at ESPN with Kotchman and McPherson coming in at 7 & 8 respectively. His note on Kotchman:

I remain very high on his hitting ability, but the injuries are getting worrisome. You can make a case that I'm rating him too high here, but I want to give him one more year.

Why would the injuries be any more worrisome today - after a season of relatively good health in 2004 - than they were last time he mentioned Kotchman? And if there's a case to be made that you're rating him too highly, don't rate him so highly. He's certainly not a better prospect than DMac at this point, at least in my opinion.

Perhaps most interestingly, a note that accompanies the article states that it is Sickles last at ESPN. His writing will now be found at a new blog called MinorLeagueBall.com (not up yet). I look forward to it.

While the media is still running with the story of a captured GI, Drudge reveals that what we have here is a captured GI Joe:


It's a fascist dollhouse! How adorable!

UPDATE: Apparently a Farker blew the lid off this one. What do you know - Fark is good for something after all.

UPDATE: The Kossaks are trying to tie this to the Gonzales nomination.

"Need a practical reason to vote NO on torture? How about this? U.S. Soldier Reportedly Captured... The Senate must vote NO on Gonzales."

Yeah, because the Islamofascists never even considered killing Americans before Abu Ghraib...

UPDATE: Too funny:

"If the American infidels do not depart Iraq immediately, the streets will run black with the ink of a thousand Etch-a-Sketches"