Trading Deadline Thoughts

Less than 48 hours left in the trading deadline, so Roy Halladay could still be on the move--although giving up 11 hits to the Seattle Mariners is not the best way to up your value.
As for the moves that have been made, the Giants picked up some complimentary pieces, but gave up a lot. Tim Alderson may not be Madison Bumgarner, but he is still projected as a top of the rotation starter. Alderson is 11 years younger than Sanchez, who at 31 has a bad knee, with a contract option for 8 million next year if he gets to 600 plate appearances (he has 382 at the moment). Sanchez did win a batting title, but it was in 2006, when he hit 44 points above his career average.
I guess what this means is that the Giants are not enthused with Kevin Frandsen and Eugenio Velez--can't say I blame them. But Velez is 4 years younger than Sanchez, a ton cheaper (about 1/10th the price) and will hit maybe 20-25 points lower than Sanchez. For this upgrade, they give up probably their second-best pitching prospect? Not so sure about that... probably would rather see the extra money go to a first baseman or corner outfielder that can hit 25 homers.

In non-Giant news, the Phillies landed Cliff Lee, without having to give up the prospects that Toronto wanted for Halladay. That gives the Phillies as many as 4 lefties in the rotation. But is that a good thing? The Dodgers would appear to be the favorites in the NL, and they hit lefties 21 points better than righties (.290 to .271)--Matt Kemp hits .386, Casey Blake .361, Orlando Hudson .343 and James Loney .322
I'm not saying Cliff won't help--he's an extremely good pitcher. But at the same time, Charlie Manuel might want to think twice before setting his post-season rotation...

The biggest non-trade is obviously Halladay. Jays GM JP Ricciardi has been rebuffed in his efforts to land multiple top prospects, so we shall see if he lowers his asking price in an effort to move Halladay. The good news is that Halladay is signed through next year. The bad news, is that his value is higher now (considering Halladay remains with any new team through 2010) than it will be in the off-season.

Landing spot for Halladay? I really hope it's not LA... maybe Atlanta? They were interested in Peavy in the off-season, so they won't be scared by the payroll. And if they put Halladay with Derek Lowe and Tim Hudson, that could be the best 1-3 in the NL; maybe better than the Phillies with Lee and Cole Hamels.

Never a dull moment with Steve Spurrier

I realize that it is July, and that college football is still a solid month away. But in the SEC, trust me-- pigskin is a year-round obsession. The conference is seriously a soap opera. Lane Kiffin trying to jump up and bite the heels of the big dogs; ripping South Carolina grads, trying to "turn in" Florida for a non-existant recruiting violation. Arkansas nearly melting down with the Bobby Petrino incident (not to mention Gus Mahlzahn and Mitch Mustain) two years back. And of course, Steve Spurrier taking any and all cheap shots against his former employer, the Florida Gators.
The latest Spurrier dig? He was the only coach not to name Tim Tebow as the first-team SEC quarterback. I may remind you he is the only QB in the conference to have a Heisman, not to mention a Chuck Norris-esque fan devotion. (Notre Dame players now touch a "Play like Tim Tebow today" sign while heading out to the field.).
Safe to say Spurrier is not the webmaster over there. Instead, the ole ball coach crowned Ole Miss QB Jevan Snead the new king of fling in the SEC.
Or did he?
At SEC media day, Spurrier blamed the incident on an oversight, claiming someone else on his staff filled out the bllot, and that Spurrier simply signed without glancing at it. He even tried to call up and change his vote.
What a shame. And here I thought he was just taking a quiet little dig at his replacement Urban Meyer. Turns out it was a snafu. Regardless, I hope that at the very least when he discovered the oversight, he flung a visor. Maybe two.

By the way, there may be some blog changes in the works next week... I will keep everyone posted. In the meantime, thanks for reading...

Quick TV Note...

If you are curious about the history behind Nike, there is a good show I caught on CNBC called Swoosh! Inside Nike. Its got interviews with Phil Knight, other Nike heads (including Dan Wieden, the advertising exec that came up with campaigns like Bo Knows, Mars Blackmon, etc). Even Michael Jordan talking about why he signed with Nike over Adidas when he first came into the NBA.
As an added bonus, you can turn it into a drinking game! Just take a sip every time there is a shot of Darren Rovell, the reporter, nodding at an answer on camera. You'll be gone 20 minutes in...

As for the game...

Tim Lincecum less than dominant for the NL. Okay, I have to admit--he was pretty lousy in the first there. He did have Ichiro and Jeter 0-2, but lost them both. Then three straight plays that should have been made but weren't--including one where Lincecum didn't cover first. But the damage could have been worse, and he had a smoother 2nd frame.

Zach Greinke looked awfully good for the AL. The change-up to David Wright was fantastic, and he made Shane Victorino look bad, chasing one in the dirt. For a guy whose career was nearly derailed by social anxiety, I’d say he passed this test (by far the biggest stage in his career) with flying colors.

When Lincecum is pitching, Pujols makes an error that costs the NL a run. Then as the game goes on, he morphs into a human vacuum cleaner… great D to keep it tied in the 5th.

Edwin Jackson throws the ball 4 times, puts up a scoreless frame, and calls it a night. Danys Baez just saved a bunch of money by switching to Geico. Good trade there, Dodgers! (I could of course say the same about the Rays and Matt Joyce, but where is the sport in making fun of the Rays?)

That Taco Bell song was fantastic! All about the Roosevelts, baby!

Joe Nathan comes in for the AL in the 8th, and gets Ryan Howard swinging to end the 8th. AJ Pierzynski is wondering if its time to redo his blond highlights. Stupid irony…

Mariano Rivera really is amazing—the pitch sequence to Brad Hawpe was just unfair. You realize in all star games, Rivera has given up only 1 unearned run in 8 appearances, including 4 saves? Put that next to his post-season numbers: 10 earned runs in 117 1/3 innings. Unbelievable… truly the best closer in baseball history.

The REAL El Presidente

Is there a cooler guy on the planet than President Obama? They showed him strolling through the locker room before the All Star game, and he's chatting up the players, busting chops... basically owning the room. I'm sure the Commander in Chief is always respected, but there was a certain level of mutual respect that came across here, moreso than with Bush. The only thing W definitely has on Obama is the fastball. Much more convincing the the Eephus pitch offered up by Obama. At least Pujols was able to scopp it before it bounced...

On the flip side, Obama was very engaging in the booth, and pro-active. He didn't apologize for being a White Sox fan, but was quick to point out that he doesn't dislike the Cubs. Later, when the NL's losing streak came up, before Buck or McCarver could ask him about it, he spun it around and asked them their thoughts on the streak, and that was that. When they put him on the spot for a World Series prediction, he gave enough of an informed answer to seem like he wasn't dodging the question, but also didn't get sucked into an actual prediction.

And if that wasn't enough, he even brought the NL some good luck, as they scored 3 runs in that half-inning. Finally, change I can believe in! Can the the NL win their first All star game since 1996? Si se puede!

More thoughts after the game...

Sanchez No-No

I must admit, I did not see this one coming. Jonathan Sanchez throwing a no-hitter for the Giants Friday night against the Padres. First off, Sanchez was fantastic. Nary a hit allowed of course, but also no walks, to go with 11 strikeouts. Sanchez has been known to miss bats, but the control he exhibited Friday was especially encouraging.

Granted it was against a Padres lineup that won't strike fear into the hearts of pitchers. And Sanchez remains a work in progress-- I'm not even sure he will get to see this through in a Giants uniform. Instead, he seems tagged for another destination, while Brian Sabean is in need of some offense. Looking at what the Giants need, not sure there are a ton of trading partners out there, but let's through a few ideas out there...

Proposition 1: Sanchez to St. Louis for Ryan Ludwick. This would seem to be a win/win, because of St. Louis' glut of outfielders and the Giants need for power. Also, the Cardinals could definitely use Sanchez in their rotation-- they only have one lefty on the roster (reliever Jaime Garcia).

Proposition 2: Sanchez, Merkin Valdez and Tim Alderson to Cincinnati for Joey Votto. I'm pretty sure this deal wouldn't happen, but you have to wonder if the Reds might consider parting with Votto, who seems to be over his bout with depression, (which was apparently was brought on by his father's death in the offseason) in exchange for three pitching prospects. No doubt a king's ransom, but Votto is a 25 year old lefty that could be the power hitter SF needs to build around for the next decade. After Sabean got burned on Pierzynski, though, I doubt he would have the stones to pull the trigger on this one.

The only other power bat that could be available is Russ Branyan. The 33 year old has 21 homers already for the Mariners, and the asking price probably wouldn't be too high. Especially when you consider that he is 3 HRs away from a career high, and has hit more than 20 jacks only 1 other time in his career. But you figure if he''s doing that at Safeco (11 HR at home, 10 on road), Pac Bell would suit him fine as well...

As for the blog, I know I've been short-changing you guys with the inconsistent postings, but after all-- you get what you pay for! Kidding... But having said that, I'll try to chime in at least once or twice a week going forward. Thanks for reading!