A weblog of baseball news and analysis
Tuesday, July 15, 2003
Dodgers add Burnitz, Rickey on busy day.
Jon Weisman: "Henderson may struggle to hit .200, but he will walk, and he will spark. Think about this: the man will be perhaps the greatest offensive player ever to wear a Dodger uniform (challenging Frank Robinson, among others, for that award). No, he's not that player on the field any more, but he's not Rafael Landestoy, either." (Dodger Thoughts)
Dave’s Gigantically Huge Review of the First Half. "I was wrong about Bret Boone. Worse, I was wrong about him twice. I didn’t like the original signing in 2001. I hated the contract he got in 2002. I thought his career year came two years ago. I thought the Boone we saw in the first half of last year was The Boone reverting to form. Obviously, I was just wrong. Bret Boone has been the most valuable player in the American League through the first half of the season, and he’s having a better year now than he did in his “fluke” season. Boone’s an elite player and the biggest reason the Mariners are in first place right now. M-V-P. M-V-P. M-V-P." (U.S.S. Mariner)
The First Half (Part One: The American League). "Interestingly enough, at this time last year, the Yankees were in first-place and led the Red Sox by...2 games. The Red Sox went 41-36 in the second-half and New York won the division easily. I don't think anything will be easy this time around and I will stick to my pre-season prediction that the Red Sox will win the division and the Yankees will get the Wild Card. It should be a fun 'race' to watch, although it would be a whole lot more fun if they were actually fighting over just one playoff spot (thanks Bud!)." (Aaron's Baseball Blog)
Paul: "All in all, I'm quite pleased with our first half results. First in the Wild Card, 2 games back, and the team seems to be just rounding into its best form of the year. I don't forsee any .500 second halves this time around." (The Red Sox Rag)
Prospectus Triple Play: Marlins, Yankees, Pirates. "Despite a paucity of young talent--after Brandon Claussen and perhaps Julio De Paula (now known as Jorge De Paula), the Yankees don't have much to deal--you can bet that the Yankees will make at least one deal to improve the bullpen. They may also try to add a bat to upgrade right field, where Raul Mondesi has been slumping, or the DH slot, which is currently a semi-platoon of Karim Garcia and Todd Zeile. What the Yankees lack in tradable talent they make up for in willingness to assume contracts, which gives them a big edge in the current market." (Baseball Prospectus)
They Say It's Your Birth-Joe-Morgan-Chat-Day! Happy Birth-Joe-Morgan-Chat-Day To You! (Mike's Baseball Rants)
This Is an All-Star Team? Ballplayers were better in Allen Barra's day. (Slate)
Introducing "The Quad" Award. "Everyone knows about the Triple Crown: the league leader in batting average, home runs, and runs batted in...Well, now there is a better, more comprehensive version of the Triple Crown. It's called 'The Quad', short for quadruple. The Quad is comprised of on base percentage, slugging average, times on base, and total bases. It is both a qualitative and quantitative statistical achievement." (Rich's Weekend Baseball BEAT)
The Quad, Part II.
The Quad, Part III.
Dontrelle Willis becomes a rising national star.
New weblogs:
The Outside World Mets Blog
The Bullpen
The 34-year-old Burnitz, who has played all three outfield positions, figures to replace Brian Jordan in left field. Jordan underwent season-ending knee surgery last week.(ESPN.com)
"Jeromy's offensive output throughout his career speaks for itself,'' Evans said. "I believe he will complement our offense well and add some power to the middle of our order.''
Henderson, who had been playing for the Newark Bears of the independent Atlantic League, figures to be used mainly in a reserve role.
"With Rickey, we're gaining a player who understands what it takes to win at the major league level and we feel he will be a valuable addition to our team,'' Evans said.
Jon Weisman: "Henderson may struggle to hit .200, but he will walk, and he will spark. Think about this: the man will be perhaps the greatest offensive player ever to wear a Dodger uniform (challenging Frank Robinson, among others, for that award). No, he's not that player on the field any more, but he's not Rafael Landestoy, either." (Dodger Thoughts)
Dave’s Gigantically Huge Review of the First Half. "I was wrong about Bret Boone. Worse, I was wrong about him twice. I didn’t like the original signing in 2001. I hated the contract he got in 2002. I thought his career year came two years ago. I thought the Boone we saw in the first half of last year was The Boone reverting to form. Obviously, I was just wrong. Bret Boone has been the most valuable player in the American League through the first half of the season, and he’s having a better year now than he did in his “fluke” season. Boone’s an elite player and the biggest reason the Mariners are in first place right now. M-V-P. M-V-P. M-V-P." (U.S.S. Mariner)
The First Half (Part One: The American League). "Interestingly enough, at this time last year, the Yankees were in first-place and led the Red Sox by...2 games. The Red Sox went 41-36 in the second-half and New York won the division easily. I don't think anything will be easy this time around and I will stick to my pre-season prediction that the Red Sox will win the division and the Yankees will get the Wild Card. It should be a fun 'race' to watch, although it would be a whole lot more fun if they were actually fighting over just one playoff spot (thanks Bud!)." (Aaron's Baseball Blog)
Paul: "All in all, I'm quite pleased with our first half results. First in the Wild Card, 2 games back, and the team seems to be just rounding into its best form of the year. I don't forsee any .500 second halves this time around." (The Red Sox Rag)
Prospectus Triple Play: Marlins, Yankees, Pirates. "Despite a paucity of young talent--after Brandon Claussen and perhaps Julio De Paula (now known as Jorge De Paula), the Yankees don't have much to deal--you can bet that the Yankees will make at least one deal to improve the bullpen. They may also try to add a bat to upgrade right field, where Raul Mondesi has been slumping, or the DH slot, which is currently a semi-platoon of Karim Garcia and Todd Zeile. What the Yankees lack in tradable talent they make up for in willingness to assume contracts, which gives them a big edge in the current market." (Baseball Prospectus)
They Say It's Your Birth-Joe-Morgan-Chat-Day! Happy Birth-Joe-Morgan-Chat-Day To You! (Mike's Baseball Rants)
This Is an All-Star Team? Ballplayers were better in Allen Barra's day. (Slate)
Introducing "The Quad" Award. "Everyone knows about the Triple Crown: the league leader in batting average, home runs, and runs batted in...Well, now there is a better, more comprehensive version of the Triple Crown. It's called 'The Quad', short for quadruple. The Quad is comprised of on base percentage, slugging average, times on base, and total bases. It is both a qualitative and quantitative statistical achievement." (Rich's Weekend Baseball BEAT)
The Quad, Part II.
The Quad, Part III.
Dontrelle Willis becomes a rising national star.
Oh, you've made a long journey(South Florida Sun-Sentinel)
up from Single-A,
Dontrelle, Dontrelle!
Now you're playing in the
All-Star Game today,
Dontrelle, Dontrelle!
When the naysayers nayed,
you just picked up the pace,
You said, "Nothing's gonna stop me,
so get out of my face!"
You're striking out batters
all over the place,
Dontrelle, Dontrelle!
New weblogs:
The Outside World Mets Blog
The Bullpen