Tom says...
Is that a typo or is Mr Cheek actually casting the game?
Someone down in Florida needs to start bangin' a drum -- apparently it drives the guy nuts.
Sean Connery: I've got to ask you about the Penis Mightier.
Alex Trebek: What? No. No, no, that is The Pen is Mightier.
Sean Connery: Gussy it up however you want, Trebek. What matters is does it work? Will it really mighty my penis, man?
You mean the filter isn't letting your say 'airplane'?
The Rangers have announced that they have acquired lefthander Matt Riley and catcher Keith McDonald from Baltimore for outfielder Ramon Nivar. As good a kid as Nivar is, and as intriguing as his tools are, I'm thrilled with this deal. Matt Riley could end up being Orel Hershiser's magnum opus.
Potentially a terrific deal for the Rangers, also showing how far Nivar's star has fallen recently, meaning it could work out for the O's, too, if they can determin just whatinhell happened to Ramon.
Jim Deschaine used to play with Gabe Gross and Alexis Rios with the New Haven Ravens in 2003.
He may just be living for now in the afterglow of Ryan Drese.
Look, I know that spring training games don't count. But I think that exhibition wins -- for this particular team -- have been really good for the Jays. This is a team with plenty to prove, as evidenced by their absurd 28th-place preseason rankings. I like that they've been playing competitively from the get-go. It can only mean good things for both personal tuning-up and clubhouse bonding.
Bottom line: winning can't hurt.
Hate to say it, but he makes valid points in his Jays analysis:
Hard to disagree with that.
So what is the "average" major league pitcher? And are Bush and Lilly really below that? My personal feeling is heck no, but Id love to see someone cruch the numbers rather than just throwing out the phrase "below average" or "above average" to back their case.
Looks like the replacement for the Jumbotron doesn't look particularly different, but the ribbon boards around the facing of the walls are a nice change. The colour of the turf looks a lot better, too.
You can see Kevin's Roger's Centre gallery, or visit Blue Jay Way.
The AL average ERA last year was 4.63. Starting pitchers, however, had a 4.84 ERA. Jays' starters in 2004 had a 4.85 ERA - a little better than average, when you take their park into account. Pretty decent, considering what happened to Halladay and Hentgen.
I think it would be a great disappointment if Toronto's starting pitching is below average in 2005. They have holes and weaknesses - but so do the other 13 teams. And most of them don't have a veteran as good as Doc, or a kid as good as Bush.
(This stuff is getting harder to figure out, now that ESPN has systematically destroyed what was once a fine website.)
Pitcher GS IP H/9 BB/9 K/9 HR/9 ERA VORP #2 Starter 29 185 8.8 2.9 6.4 1.0 3.91 32.1 Ted Lilly 32 197 7.8 4.1 7.7 1.2 4.06 44.6 #3 Starter 27 163 9.2 3.1 5.9 1.1 4.31 20.3 Dave Bush 16 98 9.3 2.3 5.9 1.0 4.80 20.6 #4 Starter 23 138 9.7 3.4 5.7 1.2 4.87 8.2 #5 Starter 22 123 10.4 3.8 5.6 1.4 5.76 -5.2 Josh Towers 21 116 11.4 2.0 3.9 1.2 5.11 10.5
In short, Lilly = above average for a #2, Bush = average for a #3, Towers = way above average for a #5, or average if you consider him a #4.
I don't know how Chacin will do, so we can't say his spot in the rotation is good or bad yet. It's clear, however, that the rotation Sandberg quotes behind Halladay -- Lilly, Bush, Towers -- is not below average, no matter how you look at it. It's not a valid point.
Of course, "not much power" and "questionable closer" are definite problems, so Ryno went 2-for-3 here.
