Also, Five Questions With Bruce Chen.

http://economics.about.com
Ooops.. not sure how I missed that one. Thanks!

Elliot's stuff is always in the paper.
I don't know why it's not on the website.
I read that story on to GO this morning.

http://www.canoe.ca/Slam040311/col_elliott-sun.html
I just found another Elliott story. He talks about McGowan, Buzachero, Ogiltree and Lukasawicz (spelling is off here).

COMN

Mike, Bob's last two articles have been titled "The Last Word" on the website (because they're in the "Last Word" spot in the paper).

When all else fails, go to Slam, and look for Bob Elliott in the columnist area. His last two columns have been featured as well.

http://economics.about.com
Ahh.. they're off to the side, and not in the main part. That's why I never seem to find them.

They also seem to update the page at around 9am, because it had a different set of stories this morning at 7.. weird.

Cheers,

Mike

http://economics.about.com
Oops.. I was looking at the Blue Jay specific page at 7, and the baseball one at 9.. no wonder they were different!

Still, though, thanks for the heads up RE: "The Last Word"

Cheers,

Mike

Haines makes men's underwear too.

http://economics.about.com
Haines makes men's underwear too.

Yep.. but the reference was to Hanes Her Way. Is there a Hanes His Way? Or will Her Way always supercede His Way? :)

Cheers,

Mike

Is there a Hanes His Way? Or will Her Way always supercede His Way? :)

All I know is that Her Way is my way, and if I'm going a different way it will probably be rectified shortly.

But what I really want to know is
Are you gonna go my way?

All I know is that Her Way is my way, and if I'm going a different way it will probably be rectified shortly

Please tell me this isn't still about underwear.

Underwear? Nobody told me we had to dress up today.

http://economics.about.com
On the internet nobody knows if you're nekkid.

http://bluejayscheerclub.com
That's why you assume that everyone else is, too.

I love baseball discussions, you learn so much about people.

Did anybody else make the mistake of ordering BP2004 from Amazon.ca? They're telling me it's not going to ship until the first week of April... I'm considering cancelling the order and getting it from Amazon.com. I thought I ordered from .ca last year, but it must have been .com because I got the book in mid-February.

Amazon's shipping dates are not always reliable. FWIW, a little while ago I ordered Ron Suskind's Price of Loyalty through Amazon.ca and it said it wasn't going to be shipped for another couple of months, but I received it a week later.

http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ASIN/0761134026/702-7663548-2795241
Jonny,

I got my copy in the mail a week ago from amazon.ca. It turns out there are two listings for it. One claimes to be written by Gary Huckabay. That one has been on the site for a while now and has an April release date. However, if you do a search for Baseball Prospectus now, you should get this listing (comn). The new listing appeared about two weeks ago only. I had to cancel my order on the old listing and switch my order to the new listing. I then received my copy in the mail in 4 days.

I hope this helps.

I hope that Chen makes the team. Did you know that he is from the same league that i play for. He recently gave 200 dollars to sponsor the uniforms.

Cristian: thanks for the heads-up on the new Prospectus. Just switched my order from the old version to the new one.

Down in Florida, Hinske and Pond have gone yard (can a Pond go yard?), as the good guys lead the Reds 5-1 after top of 4.

Any more updates on today's game? Who has pitched? Thanks!!

There is no internet broadcast of today's game. Anyone listening to Wilner's updates?

Anyways, it's still 5-1 through top 6.

(can a Pond go yard?)

If there's flash flooding, then yes.

The latest update from Wilner:

Pond is 3 for 3 with a walk (single, double, home run)
Hinske has a 2-run homer and an RBI-single, I believe.
Chen walked 3 of the 4 batters he faced.
ALopez bailed him out of that inning and retired the side in the next inning.
File has also pitched a 1-2-3 inning.

Also Batista struck out 5 in 3 innings of work.

Cristian, Thanks for taking time away from your clam-breeding and concrete analysis to pass along the tip about Amazon.ca. That's much better than what their Customer Service department could tell me, which amounted to "Sorry 'bout your luck, maybe you wanna try Amazon.com".

As opposed to Tony Batista striking out 3 times in five at bats. Whoa Miguelly!

Thanks for taking time away from your clam-breeding and concrete analysis to pass along the tip about Amazon.ca. That's much better than what their Customer Service department could tell me, which amounted to "Sorry 'bout your luck, maybe you wanna try Amazon.com".

I really hate the way all these booksellers pass the buck when it comes to providing books for people. When I was trying to order Rob Neyer's book about going to every home game at Fenway for a year, I had a heck of a time. First, I called the number suggested at robneyer.com. They took my order info down, but when I gave them my address, said they couldn't ship to Canada. Instead they gave me a Canadian number to call.

So I called the Canadian number, and the people there simply had no idea what I was talking about. I gave them the title and author and ISBN information and they still had no idea what I was talking about.

So I tried Chapters. They said they couldn't order the book because it wasn't in their system. "But I have the ISBN number." Doesn't matter. Why don't you try amazon.com?

So I did, and it worked. Aren't these people supposed to be in competition with each other for my money?

8-2 final. Whoa Miguelly, indeed.

http://economics.about.com
So I tried Chapters. They said they couldn't order the book because it wasn't in their system. "But I have the ISBN number." Doesn't matter. Why don't you try amazon.com?

Chapters/Indigo doesn't sell Baseball Prospectus, coz BP's publisher won't deal with their crap. The bookchain is really well known for throwing their weight around and bullying smaller publishers.

If you're interested in the future of bookselling in Canada, you're best to order it through an independent, though I understand this isn't always possible with a lot of books.

Cheers,

Mike

I use Amazon.ca primarily now to buy books and music and I've never had a problem. My orders usually arrive within three or four days when those items are in stock. All in all I've been very happy with the service I've received.

I've had similarly positive experiences with Chapters.ca when I've used them.

http://bluejayscheerclub.com
Aren't these people supposed to be in competition with each other for my money?

The two problems are 1) hiring staff who care, and 2) keeping them. For grunt work like taking phone orders, the pay is so bad that you can't possibly find someone who will care about what they're doing, and if you luck out and do, they'll find a job that pays better faster than you can blink. And the high turnover of staff for that kind of job doesn't help, because the company wants to invest the bare minimum in training an employee who is unlikely to stick around for very long, so they'll be told how to do a couple of specific things and anything else will be out of their realm of instruction.

That's the joy of dealing with a giant conglomerate. Not everyone has an independant bookstore (or record store or whatever kind of store) run by smart people in their local area, but if you're lucky enough to have one around, pay the extra buck and keep them in business.

I'll contribute my own bad Chapters.ca experience. I ordered some books to be sent to a convalescing friend. We were out of touch for a while, and when I spoke to her again a couple weeks later, she said only two of the books arrived. So I phoned Chapters, and was told: the third book turned out to be out of stock, so they simply refunded the money on my account and never informed me. I would never have known the book hadn't arrived if my friend hadn't told me. I asked whether Chapters couldn't have phoned or e-mailed me, since I might have ordered a different book instead; the person's reaction was basically a shrug and a repetition that my account wouldn't be charged. I haven't used Chapters.ca since. I'd like to avoid the bricks-and-mortar store as well, but there are precious few alternatives anymore.

A couple of other points about todays game.

Wells was back in the lineup but went 0-4
Phelps was 0-3 making him 2-17 in the spring
Sequea had another 2 hits to raise his average to .500
Kevin Cash notched his first hit of the year
JF Griffin had his second hit, a double, and a walk

One other note. Orlando Hudson led off again. I doubt that this will be happening this season, but that might be his long-term role with the club if his right-handed hitting picks up.

If you don't have an independent book store nearby, instead of Amazon.com or chapters.ca/indigo.ca, you can always try powells.com. The off-line bookstore (Powell's) is monstrous; it's in Portland, Oregon, and it's the second-best bookstore I've been to, behind City Lights in San Francisco. I have no idea whether powells.com ships to Canada or not, so all bets are off there.

http://me.woot.net
I used to be gung-ho Chapters; I had their discount card for three straight years (and lost money on the deal, I'll wager) and bought most of my books there. This year, I decided that it just wasn't worth it anymore, particularly since they've stopped giving out $5 vouchers for every 300 points. This doesn't mean that I'm giving up on shopping there: as Jordan mentioned, you just don't have too many options anymore.

That being said, I've been seen lurking around used book stores in the area (where else can I get classic science fiction for a decent price?) and generally looking for alternatives wherever I can find them. Amazon.anything doesn't count: their predatory patents on ridiculously simple business concepts means I am not too likely to spend my money there. Futureshop.ca I'm happy with for music and assorted stuff, because they've got free shipping. (I tend to avoid their brick-and-mortar stores, as the help is useless; teenagers on comission are pushing their own agenda whenever they see you. For most business machine/computer/phone purchase needs, Staples is a not-on-commission better alternative.)

http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/item.asp?N=35&R=1042250&act=A03&Item=978076113402&Section=books&Catalog=Books&Lang=en&mscssid=LQRV33B5BD8C8JQPVX11SCXE9Q1A4L6D&WSID=170384DFAAF1A4B8441AA254E5F299145D8E5812
Chapters/Indigo doesn't sell Baseball Prospectus, coz BP's publisher won't deal with their crap.

I got it from Chapters.ca. COMN to see the listing. Their website even says that there are 3 on the shelves at the 110 Bloor location. To the subway!

And Moffatt, that be Queen. I'm guessing that the percentage of baseball fans who are also Glam Rock fans is low...they all watch golf now.

http://economics.about.com
I got it from Chapters.ca. COMN to see the listing. Their website even says that there are 3 on the shelves at the 110 Bloor location. To the subway!

My mistake. There was a rant about it last year (or two years ago) on the BP website, but it seems to be gone now.

I hope Chapters is a lot better about paying their suppliers than they were a few years ago.

And Moffatt, that be Queen. I'm guessing that the percentage of baseball fans who are also Glam Rock fans is low...they all watch golf now.

Right-o.. It's "Princes of the Universe" from 1986. It was also in the movie Highlander, which is one my favorite movies of all time. I thought people would get it because of the movie connection.

I can't take offence at your characterization, because I love golf.

I've been seen lurking around used book stores in the area

Me too. I don't remember the last time I bought a new book that wasn't work-related. City Lights on Richmond St. is the best part of living in London.

Cheers,

Mike

I got it from Chapters.ca. COMN to see the listing. Their website even says that there are 3 on the shelves at the 110 Bloor location.

Turns out that online listing isn't real accurate though; It says there are no copies at all in K-W, but I swung by on my way home from work anyway and there were 4 on the shelf. And the Baseball America Top 100 Prospects issue... I got me some reading to do!

Some Queen fans still go to hockey games with their kids, silently humming along with "We Are the Champions".

Did Lopez try out his new pitches? Did he face any lefties?

I live in Burlington, and Different Drummer Books, located downtown about 10 mins from me, has been voted best bookstore in Canada a bunch of times. These kinds of stores, operated by guys who love books and know what they are doing, are exactly the kind of thing Chapters and Indigo are snuffing out.

Orlando Hudson led off again.
What would the lineup be in 2005 if this becomes a permanent change?

1) Hudson 2B
2) Gross LF
3) Wells CF
4) Phelps 1B
5) Hinske 3B
6) Rios RF
7) Quiroz C
8) Adams SS

I know, I'm missing the DH (and I'm assuming Carlos leaves for LA). I don't know who the DH would be..JFG? Pond? Anyway, how far off am I on this O-Dog-at-the-top, four-rookie-lineup? Should Gross be lower, maybe 7th?

becomes a permament change. Ugh. Does that even make sense?

Some Queen fans still go to hockey games with their kids, silently humming along with "We Are the Champions".

So I take it they don't go to Leafs games.

Is it just me or has phelps looked awfully bad in spring traning thus far.

Finally. A reference I recognize and someone beats me too it by THAT much.

"Princes of the Universe" was also used as the theme for the TV series....

"...no man can be my equal!"

I tried, twice, to explain the BP mix up to amazon.ca more than a week ago. I didn't want to cancel and re-order, because my earlier order qualified for free shipping, a new one would not, and it was their error that the problem occurred.

I explained to them that I advance-ordered the book Dec 30/03 from the ISBN 1574888455 listing. This had the title "Baseball Prospectus 2004".

Later, they created a new entry for the book under ISBN 0761134026. This had a longer version of the title: "Baseball Prospectus 2004: Statistics, Analysis, and Insight for the Information Age". (Actually, I'm not sure the year was in the title a couple weeks ago.)

I pointed out to them that the official home page for the book listed the newer entry is the active one on amazon.ca.

I also pointed out that the cover picture on the new entry clearly showed it was "Baseball Prospectus 2004".

I also told them I knew people who had received the book, so obviously it was already shipping.

I also pointed out to them on their amazon.com parent, the old ISBN (1574888455) is no longer even found.

Their response was complete denial; in fact, they said they were going to "correct" the picture. To quote:

I have investigated this situation and found that, according to our information, the two items you've mentioned are two separate items; each with different titles and different authors.

If you wish to keep "Baseball Prospectus 2004" on order, we will ship it to you when it becomes available with no shipping costs.

However, if you wish to cancel this item and place a new order for "Baseball Prospectus: Statistics, Analysis, and Attitude for the Information Age," you will incur shipping charges if your order does not total $39 or more.

Please know that I have sent information to the appropriate department to have the picture's listed with these items corrected.

Again, this was after the 2nd try (on the 1st try, I also suggested they should look to fix other people's advance orders too; I tried to help you guys). Anyway, what I did was cancel my order and then ordered it from bn.com, which, despite being U.S.-based, does ship via Canada Post, hence avoiding the $5 customs fee often levied on amazon.com orders (unlike amazon.ca orders). With the change in the exchange rate, possibly bn.com was cheaper too, but I didn't work this out carefully.

I haven't got the book yet, but I got a confirmation Monday night that the "order is now packed and ready to leave our warehouse", so I assume it will arrive soon. I've ordered from bn.com before and don't remember any problems.

(To be fair, I don't remember any problems with amazon.ca before this incident, so I may go back to them in the future. I've had mixed results with Chapters and have avoided them since amazon.ca has existed.)

I've found that Amazon is pretty good as long as the item you want says it's immediately available and will ship in 24 hours.

I placed an order last year for a couple books, one of which wasn't going to be available for 3-4 weeks. No problem, I thought, since it was a pretty good deal. A month goes by, and I finally get the "Your order has shipped" email, but minus the one book that I was waiting for: Apparently it took them a month to find out they couldn't get a copy. Not only that, though, but the change in my order reduced the dollar amount below the "free shipping" threshold, and they billed me for that without bothering to ask if I still wanted the half-order. (they refunded it to me when I complained, though) To make matters worse, I could have bought the book on sale at a local store while I was waiting for Amazon to tell me they didn't have it, and now it's out of print.

Since then, I'll happily patronize any of the local, independent bookstores if I'm looking for something Amazon can't send me right away.

Today was also the first appearance of Howie Clark for the Jays. I have to assume he's been injured. For someone who is currently on the 40-man roster and has often been mentioned for the final spot on the bench, it seems odd for him to receive no playing time until now. I don't think I've even seen his name mentioned since spring training began.

Highlander, which is one my favorite movies of all time.

Yeah, you and a few friends of mine, and a lot of other people I've heard of. There must be something about Highlander that I don't get. I missed the point somewhere. The boat left and I wasn't on the boat. I think it's a stupid movie.

Tassle:

I'm in Burlington too and my mom actually works at Different Drummer. She'd been a customer for years and when she retired from teaching decided to get a job there.

Wonderful store and Richard certainly knows his books.

Where abouts are you in Burlington?

Today was also the first appearance of Howie Clark for the Jays.

I think Clark has been nursing a tender knee, and he may have fallen behind Simon Pond on the depth chart while he was out. There may not be a spot for either one, if they take 12 pitchers, but there certainly isn't room for both on the 25-man.