Thursday, January 18, 2007

Tidbits

1. Concussions and player safety are very serious subjects, so when I read this, I immediately wondered how the NFL will respond and, more importantly, if the NFLPA will press the league for better protection for its members. It’s scary to hear that a 44-year old man had the brain tissue of an 85-year old Alzheimer’s patient. That’s unacceptable and I hope the league and the union come up with a way to improve helmet safety.

2. The Hot Stove season might be about over – pitchers and catchers are due to report to spring training a little less than a month from now – but don’t tell that to the Atlanta Braves who are about to finalize a trade with the Pirates for lefty reliever Mike Gonzalez. In return, the Braves will send first baseman Adam LaRoche to Pittsburgh.

I’m torn on this deal. On the one hand, the Braves might have the best late-inning bullpen in their division, and perhaps in all of the NL, by teaming up closer Bob Wickman with a righty/lefty power tandem of Rafael Soriano and Gonzalez. On the other hand, their lineup, nothing special to begin with, got a little bit worse without the 30 homers that LaRoche hit in 2006. There are always ways to replace 30 homers, but given the young makeup of the Braves lineup, save for Andruw and Chipper Jones, Atlanta seems like a team that could go through prolonged slumps with such a young and inexperienced cast.

For the Pirates, LaRoche gives star outfielder Jason Bay some much-needed protection in the lineup. I see no downside for them, other than losing an effective closer. However, since just about anyone can be groomed for the 9th inning role, the Pirates can piece together their bullpen knowing that finally, for the first time in nearly 20 years, they might have a league-average offense.

3. I was thinking the other day how people have praised the Red Sox for their offseason spending spree, improving their rotation and their lineup with Daisuke Matsuzaka, Julio Lugo, and JD Drew. Then I thought about this: the Red Sox are going into 2007 with Mike Timlin, Craig Hansen, and Joel Piniero as their top candidates for the closer’s role. In the case of the latter, they signed Piniero to a one-year, $4M contract. Texas signed Eric Gagne to a one-year, $6M contract. Assuming both stay healthy, who do you think will be the better closer? For a scant $2M less, the Red Sox sure seem pleased with themselves.

The Red Sox have proven to me that they are a schizophrenic organization. Boston’s approach to building a baseball team since the 2004 World Series has revealed that they are far more concerned with how they are perceived vis à vis the Yankees than with the day-to-day rigors of building a great baseball team.

Honestly, when I realize stuff like this, it reminds me of how good it is to be a Yankee fan – Pride, Power, Pinstripes (and making your biggest rival do crazy things).

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