BBech Posted February 19, 2013 Share Posted February 19, 2013 http://espn.go.com/dallas/mlb/story/_/id/8959488/los-angeles-angels-josh-hamilton-says-dallas-forth-worth-not-true-baseball-town Did he seriously just say that? After going to Anaheim. The same team that wanted to go by Los Angeles because Anaheim is not the city people associate with baseball. I've been following this guy since I was 9 and he was a senior in high school but he gives me so many reasons to hate him while I want to love him so much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travis Posted February 19, 2013 Author Share Posted February 19, 2013 http://espn.go.com/dallas/mlb/story/_/id/8959488/los-angeles-angels-josh-hamilton-says-dallas-forth-worth-not-true-baseball-town Did he seriously just say that? After going to Anaheim. The same team that wanted to go by Los Angeles because Anaheim is not the city people associate with baseball. I've been following this guy since I was 9 and he was a senior in high school but he gives me so many reasons to hate him while I want to love him so much. This is ESPN trying to create some controversy. He didn't say anything bad about Dallas. He said the fans were great. He just said its basically more of a football town than a baseball town which is totally true. The Cowboys are maybe the most popular team in the NFL, of course it's more of a football town. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBech Posted February 19, 2013 Share Posted February 19, 2013 Everyone. Join the fantasy league. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebiglebowski Posted February 19, 2013 Share Posted February 19, 2013 Yeah, hamilton's comment is nothing. He's gonna get booed hard the first time he goes back to Arlington regardless. The more controversial thing that he said this offseason was that his second half slump was due to ingesting very large amounts of chew and caffeine. Hope the dudes worked that out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Posted February 19, 2013 Share Posted February 19, 2013 This is ESPN trying to create some controversy. He didn't say anything bad about Dallas. He said the fans were great. He just said its basically more of a football town than a baseball town which is totally true. The Cowboys are maybe the most popular team in the NFL, of course it's more of a football town. I hate that about ESPN. you're a sports network, theres enough news within sports where you dont have to try to create an issue out of nothing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chamb117 Posted February 19, 2013 Share Posted February 19, 2013 I hate that about ESPN. you're a sports network, theres enough news within sports where you dont have to try to create an issue out of nothing. yeah, but the offseason is slow as far as actual news (and not manufactured news, such as all the top 10s for each position, etc.) is concerned, so i can see their somewhat desperate attempts to extract something from nothing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Posted February 19, 2013 Share Posted February 19, 2013 yeah, but the offseason is slow as far as actual news (and not manufactured news, such as all the top 10s for each position, etc.) is concerned, so i can see their somewhat desperate attempts to extract something from nothing so focus on the NBA, NHL, NFL, MLS, whatever, its only the offseason for MLB and NFL (only for 2 1/2 weeks) right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebiglebowski Posted February 19, 2013 Share Posted February 19, 2013 NHL...Ha! Not only does it have low popularity for Americans, especially outside the northernmost states, but the league has an exclusive contract with a new network trying to eat into ESPN's market share. It's kinda surprising it even gets mentioned. Most of the year I do fine without cable but I'm really wishing I had the MLB network right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chamb117 Posted February 19, 2013 Share Posted February 19, 2013 so focus on the NBA, NHL, NFL, MLS, whatever, its only the offseason for MLB and NFL (only for 2 1/2 weeks) right now. no, i know. i wasn't justifying their poor journalism, just explaining it NHL...Ha! Not only does it have low popularity for Americans, especially outside the northernmost states, but the league has an exclusive contract with a new network trying to eat into ESPN's market share. It's kinda surprising it even gets mentioned. Most of the year I do fine without cable but I'm really wishing I had the MLB network right now. i was hesitant to pay an extra $10 a month for a sports package that included MLB network because i don't watch much tv, but i'm so glad i did because it's one of the only channels i watch now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Posted February 19, 2013 Share Posted February 19, 2013 NHL...Ha! Not only does it have low popularity for Americans, especially outside the northernmost states, but the league has an exclusive contract with a new network trying to eat into ESPN's market share. It's kinda surprising it even gets mentioned. Most of the year I do fine without cable but I'm really wishing I had the MLB network right now. well, ESPN did that to themselves by trying to low-ball the NHL with an insanely terrible TV deal in 2005, and at the time Versus was trying to find anything to latch on to, and they got the NHL for a pretty decent deal (along with MMA), and in 2011 they got purchased by NBC and became NBC Sports Network. so ESPN did it to themselves by trying to take advantage of the NHL during its lowest point. http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=6389351 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebiglebowski Posted February 19, 2013 Share Posted February 19, 2013 well, ESPN did that to themselves by trying to low-ball the NHL with an insanely terrible TV deal in 2005, and at the time Versus was trying to find anything to latch on to, and they got the NHL for a pretty decent deal (along with MMA), and in 2011 they got purchased by NBC and became NBC Sports Network. so ESPN did it to themselves by trying to take advantage of the NHL during its lowest point. http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=6389351 I obviously can't comment on closed door negotiations but I get the feeling that ESPN doesn't give a damn about the NHL because it doesn't draw ratings. They would say they didn't "do it to themselves" because they could only make money off the NHL with a lowball deal. Playing hardball to increase profits is one thing but I don't believe they would leave a contract to a competitor if there was money to be made. It's good for the consumer to have competition anyways. If people come back to the NHL then ESPN will put in a competitive bid on the contract when it eventually is a free agent again. But it's not ESPNs fault the sport isn't popular. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebiglebowski Posted February 19, 2013 Share Posted February 19, 2013 Taking things back to baseball a little bit, the NHL deal is reported to be worth 2 billion over 10 years. The Dodgers TV deal is reported to be worth about $8 billion over 25. And that's just one team! http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/feb/06/dodgers-tv-deal-cost-consumers/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Posted February 19, 2013 Share Posted February 19, 2013 Taking things back to baseball a little bit, the NHL deal is reported to be worth 2 billion over 10 years. The Dodgers TV deal is reported to be worth about $8 billion over 25. And that's just one team! http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/feb/06/dodgers-tv-deal-cost-consumers/ yeah, pretty insane, right? and baseball isnt even the most popular sport in the country (NFL is)... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMoosen Posted February 19, 2013 Share Posted February 19, 2013 yeah, pretty insane, right? and baseball isnt even the most popular sport in the country (NFL is)... truth. just shows how far back the NHL really is behind the big 3 - NFL, MLB, NBA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travis Posted February 19, 2013 Author Share Posted February 19, 2013 Baseball TV deals are also worth more because of how many games are involved. Still, most people dont give a shit about hockey. This is the most boring time of the year in sports. Baseball is inbetween the winter meeting and spring training, the NBA is still mid-season, there's no football and I dont give a shit about hockey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebiglebowski Posted February 19, 2013 Share Posted February 19, 2013 http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/fantasy-roto-arcade/angels-lineup-now-7-percent-more-mike-trout-124013301--mlb.html Some more info about the Trout weight story. 10 to 15 pounds of added weight. Finished last year at 230. They can claim 9% body fat all they want, but it's not something that is easily measured and I don't buy it. Height and weight are easy and straightforward. Even a doctor with calipers isn't a foolproof way to measure body fat. I believe the way to do it is to measure the amount of buoyancy a person has while floating in a pool of water. I doubt they did that test. The "I plan to lose 5 to 10 pounds during spring training" statement says a lot. Guys with 9% body fat have six packs and usually don't say "I am going to lose 10 pounds". He'll lose some weight and still be an elite player. But no way is he coming in as ripped as last year but 10 pounds heavier. Crazy that right now he is heavier than both Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travis Posted February 19, 2013 Author Share Posted February 19, 2013 Not worried about Trout in the slightest, he'll be fine. He'll be at whatever weight he needs to be at. He didnt come in ripped last year, he was in the minors to start the year cause he got extremely sick before Spring Training and lost a ton of weight which is why he didnt start the year in the bigs. He was actually way under weight to start last year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebiglebowski Posted February 19, 2013 Share Posted February 19, 2013 Not worried about Trout in the slightest, he'll be fine. He'll be at whatever weight he needs to be at. He didnt come in ripped last year, he was in the minors to start the year cause he got extremely sick before Spring Training and lost a ton of weight which is why he didnt start the year in the bigs. He was actually way under weight to start last year. I wouldn't worry about him being a great player but if you are expecting him to be an MVP front-runner, I think you do have to have at least the slightest concern. Dude's naturally gifted, but that doesn't mean that he can steal 50 bases regardless of what weight he is at. Laws of physics still apply. Regardless of fat / muscle ratio, why would the dude even let himself get to the point where he needed to lose 5 to 10 pounds? I doubt any manager would do this, but if I managed the Halos, I would bat Trout - Pujols - Hamilton 1,2,3. I wouldn't slide a mediocre player like Kendrick or Aybar in between to conform to baseball rules. Give me as many at bats as I can get out of those 3. What percentage of the time does Pujols come up with 2 on anyways? 1 in 10 or so? How much easier can you make it for Trout to steal than put Pujols at the plate and in the pitcher's head. If Pujols has to take a pitch, so what? That's part of being a good hitter anyways. I'd put Aybar 9th so that there was someone good in front of Trout as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travis Posted February 19, 2013 Author Share Posted February 19, 2013 I wouldn't worry about him being a great player but if you are expecting him to be an MVP front-runner, I think you do have to have at least the slightest concern. Dude's naturally gifted, but that doesn't mean that he can steal 50 bases regardless of what weight he is at. Laws of physics still apply. Regardless of fat / muscle ratio, why would the dude even let himself get to the point where he needed to lose 5 to 10 pounds? I doubt any manager would do this, but if I managed the Halos, I would bat Trout - Pujols - Hamilton 1,2,3. I wouldn't slide a mediocre player like Kendrick or Aybar in between to conform to baseball rules. Give me as many at bats as I can get out of those 3. What percentage of the time does Pujols come up with 2 on anyways? 1 in 10 or so? How much easier can you make it for Trout to steal than put Pujols at the plate and in the pitcher's head. If Pujols has to take a pitch, so what? That's part of being a good hitter anyways. I'd put Aybar 9th so that there was someone good in front of Trout as well. I'll rephrase that. Im not worried about him yet. If he's in Spring Training and is looking bigger and slower and cant do what he did last year and its due to his weight then yea, obviously I'd be concerned. I dont see this being an issue, just seems like there isnt much going on right now in baseball and the writers are looking for things to talk about. I'll give it some time before I get concerned in any way about his weight. I'm fine with them putting Kendrick or Aybar or Bourjos in the 2-hole. I totally see what you're saying though batting those guys 1, 2, 3...I dont think thats a bad idea either. As of right now, I'd probably start the season with a line up like this: Trout LF Kendrick 2B / Bourjos CF Pujols 1B Hamilton RF Trumbo DH Kendrick 2B / Bourjos CF Collaspo 3B Iannetta C Aybar SS Kendrick / Aybar / Bourjos are all somewhat interchangable in this line up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebiglebowski Posted February 19, 2013 Share Posted February 19, 2013 I hear ya. Bourjos has to be a different player this year to bat 2nd but he could. I'd rather bat a guy with a .330 OBP and no wheels ahead of Pujols than a .290 OBP guy with speed. Last year I would have said similar criticisms about the Tiger's lineup. Would have gone Jackson, Fielder (higher OBP than Cabrera), than Cabby, instead of working in guys like Dirks and Boesch in the 2 hole. With a legit #2 hitter, though, I think they stick with the norm -- Jackson, Hunter, Cabrera, Fielder. I still wonder about mixing up Fielder and Cabrera but the only reason I might not is kind of a "you don't mess with a good thing" attitude. Dude won triple crown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travis Posted February 19, 2013 Author Share Posted February 19, 2013 Im hoping Bourjos can be the guy for 2-hole on the Angels. In 2011 when he played full time he did pretty well. Last year he hardly ever played. 2011 - .327 OBP / .438 SLG / 11 triples / 12 HR / 22 SB / 72 runs and he played a great OF. If he can improve on that just a bit he could be a solid #2 hitter in the line up and being between Trout and Pujols wont hurt. The runs, steals and OBP should all go up hitting between those 2 guys. Then hit Kendrick 6th and Aybar 9th. Thats my ideal Angels line up. Hunter did great job in that spot for the Angels and I assume he'll do just as well hitting between Jackson and Cabby. That Detroit line up is no joke. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebiglebowski Posted February 19, 2013 Share Posted February 19, 2013 If Bourjos plays like the player you hope he can it might make a difficult decision regarding whether to bat Trout 1 or 2. Kinda the same situation as with Cabrera, though. You don't want to mess with a great thing. My out going out on a limb projection -- Detroit deals Rick Porcello to Texas and get's Elvis Andrus to improve the lineup even more. There will be other players involved to balance things out. But that is the core of the deal. Texas has to make some room for Profar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travis Posted February 19, 2013 Author Share Posted February 19, 2013 I think Texas should move Kinsler and put Profar at 2B. Either trade Kinsler, they could get a very nice return, or play him at 1B. I know moving him to 1B was a rumor before but since they dont really have a first baseman locked in it seems like they could easily move Kinsler over there and be able to keep Andrus and Profar. I feel like Andrus is already the player they are hoping Profar will become. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebiglebowski Posted February 19, 2013 Share Posted February 19, 2013 I didn't think about moving Kinsler to first. I could see how that makes sense. I doubt Kinsler gets traded, though. He's owed a lot of money going forward until 2018. You just usually don't see guys like that moved. I'd be interested to know the guys who have been traded that were making top 50 player salaries and still under contract for 3+ years if that was available (or something similar). Andrus has a very movable contract (something like 4 mill a year) and 2 years left. Porcello is a very underrated player. He can throw 95 and is the same age as a lot of the prospects that are coming up now (24). Because he doesn't have that minor league lustre people underestimate him. He is a ground-ball pitcher on a team that was bottom 5 in double plays turned and bottom 10 in fielding percentage. A little better defense behind him and a little bit of maturation as a pitcher and he could have a 3.5 ERA, maybe better. He's just not a good fit for the Tigers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebiglebowski Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 I forgot about this but google just reminded me. The Mets bought out Bobby Bonilla's $5.9 million salary in 1999. They decided to defer the payments. So in 2011, they started to pay him $1.2 million every year for the next 25 years. What a dumb franchise. I understand the time value of money but that is just stupidity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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