Last night, while watching a couple minutes of the hockey game, Pierre had this awesome quote:
"Forsberg has just awesome chemistry out there. Look at the chemistry he has with Statsny, and Sakic, and himself."
Yes, folks, Peter Forsberg is so awesome he has chemistry with himself.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Monday, March 24, 2008
Why The Jays Released Reed Johnson
This was an expected decision, as far as I can tell. As I wrote here, Johnson cost more and was unlikely to outproduce Stewart anyways.
Of course, this has not stopped hundreds of angry message board posters freaking out for a variety of reasons over the injustice done to their favourite "dirtbag". A sampling of some of the comments here.
The bulk of the comments seem to fall into a couple of categories.
1) Johnson has grit/hustle/heart and Stewart is a lazy bum who can't throw and has not grit.
To wit:
and
and
Now, don't get me wrong - I liked watching Reed Johnson play alot. He was one of my favourite Blue Jays the last couple years, and he was awesome in 2006. Unfortunately, that was 2006 and that was only one year. If you take out those stats, his career is decidedly "average" at best, and "well-below average" at worst.
Wow, release the fan favorite for the guy who couldn't wait to get out of town.
Wow! Did not see this coming. I feel Johnson is still better than Stewart offensively. Faster, younger, cooler. Bad move in my opinion.
So you're telling me you couldn't even get a draft pick for this guy.
What a bonehead move by the Jays! It sad to see that a player's position is determined by their name and not their stats. Reed Johnson has always been a class act and deserves better.
Where is the loyalty? He's been nothing but grit, heart and soul for the Jays since he was called up, now they just leave him hanging? Terrible move.
Shannon left the blue jays for bigger money for the twins a few years ago, Reed stayed and showed his hustle and grit despite a ack. Is Loyalty important to JP.
What are they doing the one guy on the team that could actually get the bunt down and be a catalyst for this team....Dumb Dumb move
Johnson is way overrated. A .281 with little power, poor baserunning ability, below average defense. Tons of heart will only take you so far, probably as far as he has been. His injuries over the past few years will start to show a quick decline in his ablilities. With Johnson at 31 and in his decline you might as well take the more consistant hitter in Stewart. Good move by JP.
Of course, this has not stopped hundreds of angry message board posters freaking out for a variety of reasons over the injustice done to their favourite "dirtbag". A sampling of some of the comments here.
The bulk of the comments seem to fall into a couple of categories.
1) Johnson has grit/hustle/heart and Stewart is a lazy bum who can't throw and has not grit.
To wit:
I think the Jays will regret this. Johnson provides some grit to the Jays
and is a "gamer". Stewart is on the downward slope of his career and cannot
throw.
and
Reed Johnson is a heart player, I think the Jays made a mistake.
and
Where is the loyalty? He's been nothing but grit, heart and soul for the
Jays since he was called up, now they just leave him hanging? Terrible
move.
Now, don't get me wrong - I liked watching Reed Johnson play alot. He was one of my favourite Blue Jays the last couple years, and he was awesome in 2006. Unfortunately, that was 2006 and that was only one year. If you take out those stats, his career is decidedly "average" at best, and "well-below average" at worst.
Wow, release the fan favorite for the guy who couldn't wait to get out of town.
Wow! Did not see this coming. I feel Johnson is still better than Stewart offensively. Faster, younger, cooler. Bad move in my opinion.
So you're telling me you couldn't even get a draft pick for this guy.
What a bonehead move by the Jays! It sad to see that a player's position is determined by their name and not their stats. Reed Johnson has always been a class act and deserves better.
Where is the loyalty? He's been nothing but grit, heart and soul for the Jays since he was called up, now they just leave him hanging? Terrible move.
Shannon left the blue jays for bigger money for the twins a few years ago, Reed stayed and showed his hustle and grit despite a ack. Is Loyalty important to JP.
What are they doing the one guy on the team that could actually get the bunt down and be a catalyst for this team....Dumb Dumb move
Johnson is way overrated. A .281 with little power, poor baserunning ability, below average defense. Tons of heart will only take you so far, probably as far as he has been. His injuries over the past few years will start to show a quick decline in his ablilities. With Johnson at 31 and in his decline you might as well take the more consistant hitter in Stewart. Good move by JP.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Pronger/Kesler - No Skate Stomp
Can someone please explain to me how this is any different from Simon/Ruutu?
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Recent Updates
1) Spitzer resigns. As discussed below, this story is just plain sad (especially for the man's family and spouse). But as outlined by the anonymous response, this in all liklihood was something that was coming down the pipes for a while, based on a bad decision, long ago.
2) Ferraro resigns. Political suicide can sometimes be averted if you immediately apologize. If you don't, you're generally cooked.
2) Ferraro resigns. Political suicide can sometimes be averted if you immediately apologize. If you don't, you're generally cooked.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Blue Jays Spring Training Thoughts
Several thoughts (and as a warning, this post will likely show once and for all why my dream job is the General Manager of the Blue Jays):
1) Casey Janssen done for the year. Janssen was in the running for the 5th starter job with the Jays, and had long been the preferred choice for that job (from this corner, anyways). An ERA+ of 190 last year? Very nice. Moving him into the rotation and getting 180+ innings of that type of production would have been fantastic (as a frame of reference, Roy Halladay's Cy Young year ERA+ was 145).
Regardless, this does help to explain the rather curious Armando Benitez signing of yesterday. Anytime you have a reliever with a significantly better than 1 K per 1 IP average, you've got a potential gold mine on your hands. And he's cheap, with no risk. Even without Janssen, the bullpen should be okay.
The biggest problem as far as I can tell is that now Jesse Litsch is essentially guaranteed to win the 5th starter's job out of Spring Training (especially after Gustavo Chacin stunk up the joint yesterday). I have nothing against Litsch, but he doesn't strike anyone out, and after him we now have very little depth (except for Chacin, who doesn't scare anyone). Riccardi says he might be after another starter, and I don't blame him. Litsch would likely be better to start the season at AAA and use a veteran stop-gap for the time being. This may be partially dealt with by the following point:
2) Reed Johnson vs. Shannon Stewart for the RH part of the LF platoon (the other part being Matt Stairs). I thought as soon as the Jays made this signing that the writing was probably on the wall for Johnson, and now rumour has it that he might be on his way to the Mets (likely in exchange for either prospects or a possible pitching option). Johnson, 2006 numbers aside, has always been a 4th OF, and I really think that 2006 was an outlier for Johnson and Stewart will outproduce him this year.
If the Jays can move Johnson for some SP help or even organization depth to save a bit of cash, that seems to me like the best option. Johnson would likely have been gone at the end of this year anyways (as Adam Lind is knocking on the door), so why not move him now while he has some value and you can get something for him? Stewart will likely provide comparable numbers at a cheaper cost, and very well could outproduce Johnson.
3) BJ Ryan back already. I'm not sure how I feel about this. It's only been 10 months or so since the surgery, and it is generally a 12-16 month recovery period. I really hope he's actually ready to go, because if he's not, that's going to mean major further setbacks, which doesn't bode well for the bullpen. That Benitez signing is looking better by the day.
1) Casey Janssen done for the year. Janssen was in the running for the 5th starter job with the Jays, and had long been the preferred choice for that job (from this corner, anyways). An ERA+ of 190 last year? Very nice. Moving him into the rotation and getting 180+ innings of that type of production would have been fantastic (as a frame of reference, Roy Halladay's Cy Young year ERA+ was 145).
Regardless, this does help to explain the rather curious Armando Benitez signing of yesterday. Anytime you have a reliever with a significantly better than 1 K per 1 IP average, you've got a potential gold mine on your hands. And he's cheap, with no risk. Even without Janssen, the bullpen should be okay.
The biggest problem as far as I can tell is that now Jesse Litsch is essentially guaranteed to win the 5th starter's job out of Spring Training (especially after Gustavo Chacin stunk up the joint yesterday). I have nothing against Litsch, but he doesn't strike anyone out, and after him we now have very little depth (except for Chacin, who doesn't scare anyone). Riccardi says he might be after another starter, and I don't blame him. Litsch would likely be better to start the season at AAA and use a veteran stop-gap for the time being. This may be partially dealt with by the following point:
2) Reed Johnson vs. Shannon Stewart for the RH part of the LF platoon (the other part being Matt Stairs). I thought as soon as the Jays made this signing that the writing was probably on the wall for Johnson, and now rumour has it that he might be on his way to the Mets (likely in exchange for either prospects or a possible pitching option). Johnson, 2006 numbers aside, has always been a 4th OF, and I really think that 2006 was an outlier for Johnson and Stewart will outproduce him this year.
If the Jays can move Johnson for some SP help or even organization depth to save a bit of cash, that seems to me like the best option. Johnson would likely have been gone at the end of this year anyways (as Adam Lind is knocking on the door), so why not move him now while he has some value and you can get something for him? Stewart will likely provide comparable numbers at a cheaper cost, and very well could outproduce Johnson.
3) BJ Ryan back already. I'm not sure how I feel about this. It's only been 10 months or so since the surgery, and it is generally a 12-16 month recovery period. I really hope he's actually ready to go, because if he's not, that's going to mean major further setbacks, which doesn't bode well for the bullpen. That Benitez signing is looking better by the day.
Wrong Move, Geraldine
I'll let these words speak for themselves:
Regardless of the truth of that statement*, that's equivalent to policial suicide. And then defending the use makes it all the worse.
It is quite incredible how intense and nasty this campaign is getting. The talk of a Clinton-Obama or Obama-Clinton ticket seems less and less likely by the day.
*As an added note, I am making no comment on the truth of that statement.
As Mississippi voted, the tone of the race took another nasty lurch, as the
Obama camp demanded the dismissal of Clinton's supporter Geraldine Ferraro, for
saying: "If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position."
...
But Clinton said only that she did "not agree" with Ferraro's portrayal of
Obama as the privileged recipient of affirmative action, and found it
"regrettable" that supporters might resort to personal attacks.
"We ought to keep this focused on the issues. That's what this campaign
should be about," she said while stumping in Pennsylvania ahead of the state's
crunch primary.
Later on Fox News, Ferraro refused to apologize, accused the Obama
campaign of waging a hate campaign against her, and reiterated that the
candidate's political success was "in large measure because he is black."
"I said this (Obama's) is one of the best campaigns. I speak about his
star quality. I talk about how exciting it is to have two campaigns, but you
know, the truth is the truth is the truth," Ferraro added.
Regardless of the truth of that statement*, that's equivalent to policial suicide. And then defending the use makes it all the worse.
It is quite incredible how intense and nasty this campaign is getting. The talk of a Clinton-Obama or Obama-Clinton ticket seems less and less likely by the day.
*As an added note, I am making no comment on the truth of that statement.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Wiped Away
This story, whatever is actually true, is sad.
It's incredible to think that this man, considered a future presidential candidate, has essentially seen his entire career wiped out by a sole decision. While perhaps no different from others who have done the same thing (or allegedly done), the amount that he has lost (and will lose) seems astronomical.
Even allegations of this type are so incredibly damaging to a public career (rightly or wrongly), and it stands to me as a solemn warning of the dangers of putting yourself in the slightest of situations that can lead to the wrong conclusion, let alone the dangers of actually involving in the said offence.
It's incredible to think that this man, considered a future presidential candidate, has essentially seen his entire career wiped out by a sole decision. While perhaps no different from others who have done the same thing (or allegedly done), the amount that he has lost (and will lose) seems astronomical.
Even allegations of this type are so incredibly damaging to a public career (rightly or wrongly), and it stands to me as a solemn warning of the dangers of putting yourself in the slightest of situations that can lead to the wrong conclusion, let alone the dangers of actually involving in the said offence.
Cadscam Thoughts
This story just keeps getting weirder.
Would Harper really be that stupid to be invovled in a bribe? Maybe, but that seems so incredibly unlikely (and completely unfounded in evidence - including the fact that Dona Cadman seems to support Harper's version of the facts).
Why do the Liberals only take the Cadmans' word some of the time?
Why would Harper threaten to sue to the Liberal party (where any backroom secrets could come out on examinations for discovery) if he wasn't worried about it?
Why are the Liberals specifically targeting Harper?
Would Harper really be that stupid to be invovled in a bribe? Maybe, but that seems so incredibly unlikely (and completely unfounded in evidence - including the fact that Dona Cadman seems to support Harper's version of the facts).
Why do the Liberals only take the Cadmans' word some of the time?
Why would Harper threaten to sue to the Liberal party (where any backroom secrets could come out on examinations for discovery) if he wasn't worried about it?
Why are the Liberals specifically targeting Harper?
Monday, March 10, 2008
The Spiderwick Chronicles
One of the better kids/fantasy movies I've seen a while, largely because they didn't try to overdo it - rather, keeping with the program they had and wrapping it up in one movie, without trying to drag it through for more movies. Sequel-free, and that's a good thing, but in no way a negative comment on the movie.
Freddie Highmore is one of the better young actors out there right now, and he strikes me as a Macaulay Culkin type that might actually make it as an adult actor. He plays both sets of twins, and does a solid job of making both characters distinct. The rest of the characters are from the "solid-but-unspectacular" mold.
The special effects were decidedly weak. Quite disappointing. It looked like cartoons in a movie and that took away from the overall impression.
Overall, an enjoyable movie, that was surprisingly dark and intense for the younger audience it was likely aimed at.
Freddie Highmore is one of the better young actors out there right now, and he strikes me as a Macaulay Culkin type that might actually make it as an adult actor. He plays both sets of twins, and does a solid job of making both characters distinct. The rest of the characters are from the "solid-but-unspectacular" mold.
The special effects were decidedly weak. Quite disappointing. It looked like cartoons in a movie and that took away from the overall impression.
Overall, an enjoyable movie, that was surprisingly dark and intense for the younger audience it was likely aimed at.
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