Thursday, February 16, 2006

Hot Stove Part XXIX / Jeff Weaver

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (due to a state court ruling last week, this name is now official and legally protected) signed free agent starter Jeff Weaver to a one-year contract worth $8.4M. After a very slow start to their offseason, the Angels have actually made some quiet moves that should result in them winning their third consecutive AL West division crown.

A quick rundown of their offseason includes: (i) the acquisitions of JC Romero and Esteban Yan adding to what was already baseball’s best bullpen, (ii) the jettisoning of catcher Bengie Molina in favor of clearing the way for future star Jeff Mathis (ranked as the Angels’ fourth-best organizational prospect), and (iii) the acquisition of Edgardo Alfonzo as an insurance policy for prospect Dallas McPherson.

The Angels should have one of the top rotations in baseball again this year with reigning Cy Young champ Bartolo Colon, the dependable and underrated John Lackey, emerging young pitcher Ervin Santana and now Jeff Weaver. Weaver may not be the ace that the Tigers and Yankees projected him to be a few seasons ago but he is a dependable workhorse who has averaged 34 starts and 222 IP the past two seasons. He does have the tendency to give up a few too many runs (4.11 ERA over the past two seasons as a member of the Dodgers) but as a fourth starter he should be viewed as a step up from Jarrod Washburn, last year’s pitcher in the same slot.

Also, in a separate, baseball-related thought…

Ozzie Guillen is running his mouth again. Obviously this guy has issues ranging from low self-esteem to a lack of anger management skills. What I find amusing is that in labeling people as phonies, making assumptions on what individuals may feel towards their own heritage or, more outlandishly, where individuals may or may not have vacationed, he is implicitly labeling himself as a living, breathing, walking and talking embodiment of the Latino stereotype.

If Ozzie Guillen is the ultimate arbiter of what it means to be Latino then he, in his own mind, assumes that he is the most authentic Latino of all. By such logic, Guillen then agrees with the stereotype that all Latinos must be outspoken, hot-headed, and volatile. Obviously this is an unflattering generalization of a very diverse and rich culture and one that I do not agree with. Someone may want to politely point out that he is making himself look bad. I say politely because, as we saw earlier this week, he’s not opposed to using F-16’s to kill people that dare question him.

No comments: