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Around SBN: Nevin Shapiro Vows To Bring Down Miami

Fitting

Adjective: of a kind appropriate to the situation.

Three years ago today sucked.

Two years ago sucked.

One year ago sucked.

Today did not suck. Today has been a day that brought us some hope for the future and some reassurance that this club is heading in the right direction, even more than we could have rationally dreamt for just two months ago.

We don't have to live and die with the individual moves, praying that they'll finally luck into getting something right. We can now sit back, secure in the comfort that we have perhaps the best people running this team. They know what they're doing.

It's an exciting time.

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Defense!

Does anyone other than me think Pat Gillick accidentally assembled an amazing defense?

To do this on purpose is so very awesome.

by Sec 108 on Dec 19, 2008 7:36 PM PST reply actions  

Honestly I flip flop on that one (accidental defense vs. offense).

I’ve often thought of that team, and from the point of your statement. And there’s been times when I think he was aiming for a plus defense, average offense. And got lucky when a couple 2-3 guys blew up at the plate. Personally I flip flop on that one every so often.
Still no explaining to me how they did that with Al Martin (my nominee for all time shittiest LF). And in my opinion there is never enough credit given to Stan Javier and his performance that season.

Formerly dpseadvr.

by Kermit. on Dec 20, 2008 11:13 PM PST up reply actions  

Even if he takes a less efficient route

He seems to have decent grasp of what free agents can help the team now

or a least he did most of the time with the Mariners.

by JI on Dec 20, 2008 11:38 PM PST up reply actions  

I know I sound like a broken record with the THT pimping,

but there’s a good summary in the new annual about how Gillick operates. And that’s a point the writers make: He does a good job of signing guys who will help immediately.

by Teej on Dec 20, 2008 11:43 PM PST up reply actions  

...and then you're fucked three years later

when people say to you “whoopdieshit”

Re: 3 first round picks

Retort that not having and good young players got us in this sinkhole to begin with

by JI on Dec 20, 2008 11:56 PM PST up reply actions  

No team has ever made the playoffs after Gillick left.

I have to believe the Phillies have a good chance of breaking that streak, but there are definitely some dark days ahead for that franchise. The farm system isn’t too hot, and they don’t have a single pick in the top 60 in the coming draft.

Then again, I’d put up with it for a single championship.

by Teej on Dec 21, 2008 12:03 AM PST up reply actions  

Not worth it

I’d rather have someone good who can field a good team each year.

by JI on Dec 21, 2008 10:17 AM PST up reply actions  

(shakes head)
Seattle Mariners Executive Vice President & General Manager of Baseball Operations Bill Bavasi today announced that the Mariners have agreed to terms on a four-year contract with left-handed starting pitcher Jarrod Washburn. The contract will cover the 2006-2009 seasons.

“At the start of this offseason, our goals were to acquire a high-quality starting pitcher, add offense, re-sign Jamie Moyer and, ideally, upgrade our catching,” Bavasi said. “Today’s announcement marks the final, and perhaps most important, in that offseason list of goals.”

“Jarrod is a proven Major League winner who immediately makes us better in the starting rotation,” Bavasi continued. “He has pitched in big games, including in the postseason, and helped a team to a World Series championship. He was a pitcher we had targeted from the beginning of the offseason and we are very excited to have him on the club for the next four years.”
“Jarrod should be a great fit for our rotation,” Mariners Manager Mike Hargrove said. “With the left-handed hitting in the AL West and in our ballpark, it’s nice to have another lefty.”

———————————————————————————-

With two months to go before training camp, Silva joins a rotation that, at this point, includes right-handers Felix Hernandez and Miguel Batista, and left-hander Jarrod Washburn.

“He is an innings-eater and strike thrower, and that’s a good combination,” manager John McLaren said. “We always preach to our starters to pitch as deep into the game as they can, and he likes to go deep into the game. If we do that, our bullpen would be better because we wouldn’t have to overwork them. He’s a good competitor, a veteran, and he’ll complement Washburn and Batista and help Felix out.”
“In this market, we really felt this was the No. 1 guy out there,” he said. “We think this is a big add for us.”
“Silva is a ground-ball, sinker-ball pitcher and will have an excellent teacher in [new pitching coach] Mel Stottlemyre, who was a sinker-ball pitcher,” McLaren added. “I think that’s a great fit. Having him pitch on grass instead of turf and having a little cooler weather in the summer will allow him to stay strong, so we’re really excited about Carlos.”

Silva and Stottlemyre are/were sinker-ball pitchers? That’s should’ve been worth about 0.7 WAR……

by ThundaPC on Dec 19, 2008 8:05 PM PST reply actions  

Thanks for reminding me how horrible winter use to be.

Someone tells me that the M’s made a signing/trade, now a days, I’m excited to read about it!
The last few years, I would have been terrified.

by mark sobba on Dec 19, 2008 8:37 PM PST reply actions  

Wow, the M's have really taken it in the shorts around this time over the last few years.

I remember the Vidro trade like it was yesterday. The catalyst that started me reading LL for the first time.

Patriotism, Pepper, Professionalism

by esoteric on Dec 19, 2008 8:48 PM PST reply actions  

Additionally, I'm wondering if these recent developments have reinvigorated Jeff's devotion to the blog at all?

I know how hard it’s sometimes been for him over the last year, what with our unrepentant awfulness. But things really seem to be looking up now, if only on a conceptual level. Even if these moves don’t pay off the way we hope, they’re SMART moves at the very least. And it’s been oh-so-long since anyone could say that. It makes me feel a lot better, personally.

Patriotism, Pepper, Professionalism

by esoteric on Dec 19, 2008 8:51 PM PST reply actions  

Well, in the same vein...

The M’s can be our good team, and we could always follow the Pirates, Giants, Royals, Orioles…

This signature space for rent.

by PositivePaul on Dec 19, 2008 9:25 PM PST up reply actions  

Nationals?

Patriotism, Pepper, Professionalism

by esoteric on Dec 19, 2008 9:42 PM PST up reply actions  

My first choice, but that is because I lived in the D.C. area for a couple years.

Oh fuck you. Get out of work? Do what i do and piss your pantalones. Ain’t no one going to fuck with you when you piss your pants. -- kevin_ess, winebibber

by Wilder. on Dec 19, 2008 10:05 PM PST up reply actions  

Hence the ...

I listed all the interestingly-run teams at first, and then I pretty much decided that it was stronger to leave the list hanging…

This signature space for rent.

by PositivePaul on Dec 19, 2008 11:11 PM PST up reply actions  

I suppose.

It’s just hard to laugh at this team anymore. There’ll probably be a dozen reasons come April, but still…

This signature space for rent.

by PositivePaul on Dec 19, 2008 11:12 PM PST up reply actions  

Heh...
Pitching at Safeco Field will help Washburn’s numbers for the duration of the contract, but the Mariners will be lucky to get 700 innings from him. He’s thrown 740 over the last four years, but only 326 2/3 innings came during the last two. At a rumored $36 million-$38 million, this is another Bill Bavasi signing that doesn’t impress us one bit. Dec. 19 – 8:23 pm et

Needs 170 innings to reach 700 and no, SafeCo hasn’t really helped his overall numbers out much.

Fans are typically idiots.

by The Typical Idiot Fan on Dec 20, 2008 12:07 AM PST reply actions  

Was that a Corey Brock writing.

If that was, he actually some intelligent input. Jim Street is terrible compared to him.

by Fin on Dec 20, 2008 2:21 PM PST up reply actions  

enjoy the honeymoon

JP started out like this too in Toronto. The wins don’t come easy in the AL East, so everyone starts ripping him whenever he even takes a flyer on a player. GMZ better hopes he can turn the team around quickly enough to not be axed like DePodesta was.

by brent in Korea on Dec 20, 2008 1:37 PM PST reply actions  

I don't think there's any chance Zduriencik gets treated like DePodesta

Our local fishwrap writers don’t control the opinions of the team’s ownership.

Fans are typically idiots.

by The Typical Idiot Fan on Dec 20, 2008 3:34 PM PST up reply actions  

Umm, am I the only one to think this, or am I way late on this?

Is the reason that the M’s are looking for tons of defense mainly because that Zduriencik’s drafting philosophy seems to basically be “fuck defense, let’s get guys that can knock the crap out of the ball”; so, it seems like the M’s philosophy is to get shitty-hitting defensive wizards in free agency and trade?

Man, this team’s gonna set records in defensive substitutions in a few years.

by craig3410 on Dec 20, 2008 7:59 PM PST reply actions  

Where'd you get that idea about his draft philosophy?

If I remember correctly, he merely said that talent outweighed everything else in the draft. Not specifically offensive talent.

by redwolf75 on Dec 20, 2008 8:44 PM PST up reply actions  

It's just a trend with his Brewer draft picks

Fielder and Weeks are bad at defense, Braun was terrible at third, and Hart bounced around all over the diamond before settling in right field in 2006. The next tier of prospects we have coming up are mostly bad on defense, too. Mat Gamel, Angel Salome, Matt LaPorta before the Sabathia trade, and he picked Brett Lawrie this year. The two exceptions are the shortstops— he drafted Hardy and signed Alcides Escobar.

I don’t think it was a conscious effort to draft for offense, it just happened to be that the most ‘talented’ players happened to be not as good on defense. And there’s a difference between drafting and major league player evaluation, he might be thinking that hitting is more constant and that defense can develop with young players.

And neck size to baby eating ratio.

by Jordan M on Dec 21, 2008 7:47 AM PST up reply actions  

Stupid Question...

Didn’t want to dedicate a fan post to it, but I was wondering…

If The Nats sign Texeira, do the Angels get Strasburg due to the Type A free agent stuff? Because that would kind of suck.

by zeeehjee on Dec 21, 2008 7:12 PM PST reply actions  

Bill James on Jim Edmonds in 1994:
“Since he has no power or speed and had almost as many strikeouts as hits, the .273 average is more like .240 in terms of runs it produces, but he is still young, and could develop into a good platoon player. Faces competition from Garrett Anderson and Orlando Palmeiro.”

by JI on Dec 21, 2008 7:40 PM PST up reply actions  

I don't want Pujols anyway

I can only handle so much awesome

Determined, Jonesing Commentor | Proud proprietor of Washingtonhighways.org

by Corco on Dec 21, 2008 9:49 PM PST up reply actions  

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