Monthly Archives: January 2008

So Long, Lurch

Posted on by 1 Reply

Remember a few weeks ago when I outlined that I actually wanted Mark Hendrickson back as a reliever, because he was shockingly pretty decent in that role, as opposed to how terrible he is as a starter?

Yeah. About that. hendy.jpg

MIAMI — The Marlins have added a veteran presence to their young pitching staff.

On Wednesday afternoon, the team announced the signing of free-agent left-handed pitcher Mark Hendrickson to a one-year deal.

The addition of Hendrickson potentially gives the Marlins three left-handers in their starting rotation. The pitching staff also includes southpaws Scott Olsen and Andrew Miller.

Oh yeah. This is going to end well. Take a mediocre vet, put him in a role he’s clearly proven he’s not cut out for, put him in front of a young and particularly defensively-challenged team, and add him to a division filled with some serious offensive talent. This is going to be cover-your-eyes bad.

So long, Lurch. I’ll enjoy watching Matt Kemp launch a ball 550 feet off you this summer.

Oh hell, who am I kidding? Former Dodgers always come back to bite this team head-to-head.

- Mike Scioscia’s tragic illness msti-face.jpg

R.I.P., Johnny Podres (1932-2008)

Posted on by 5 Replies

Former Dodgers great, Johnny Podres, has passed away.

GLENN FALLS, N.Y. — Johnny Podres, who pitched the Brooklyn Dodgers to their only World Series title in 1955, died Sunday at the age of 75. A spokesman for Glens Falls Hospital confirmed Podres’ death but said he didn’t know any details.The left-hander pitched in four All-Star games and was the first Most Valuable Player in World Series history. He became a hero to every baseball fan in Brooklyn when the Dodgers ended decades of frustration by beating the Yankees to win the World Series. It was the first time a team had won a best-of-seven World Series after losing the first two games, and it was Brooklyn’s only World Series victory. The Dodgers moved to Los Angeles after the 1957 season.

R.I.P., Johnny.

- Vin vinscully-face.jpg

MSTI: The Podcast – Breaking Down Andruw – Episode #1 – 1-8-08

Posted on by 4 Replies

Well, you knew we had to do it eventually.

One of our goals going into 2008 was to be able to expand a little bit into other mediums and we thought this would be an interesting place to start. This could (and likely) end up being an utter disaster, but, since it’s the slowest period of the offseason, we’ll probably try some things and see if they stick. So, whether this ends up being a regular feature or a one-time only thing, we haven’t the slightest clue. In any event, enjoy! We know we’re breaking this signing down just a tiny bit later (like a month), but we did say we would, so here you go:

MSTI: The Podcast – Breaking Down Andruw – Episode #1 – 1-8-08

- Vin vinscully-face.jpg

Baseball and Dragons, Together at Last

Posted on by 3 Replies

Preamble: this was by far one of the oddest Google image searches I’ve had to do for a post on here. Yikes, are there some weird people out there. I’ll let you discover this for yourselves.

Any of you folks play fantasy baseball? The only reason I bring it up, is because two of the most recent posts at RotoAuthority.com deal with the Dodgers and specifically, Russell Martin and Jeff Kent.

Top 2008 fantasy catchers:dragon.jpg

Rnk Name
1 Russell Martin
2 Victor Martinez
3 Joe Mauer
4 Jorge Posada
5 Brian McCann
6 Kenji Johjima
7 J.R. Towles
8 Geovany Soto
9 Bengie Molina
10 Ivan Rodriguez
11 Carlos Ruiz
12 A.J. Pierzynski
13 Ramon Hernandez
14 Ronny Paulino
15 Mike Napoli
16 Jason Varitek
17 Paul Lo Duca
18 Ryan Doumit
19 Salty
20 Johnny Estrada

#1, baby! I know this is for fantasy teams, so Turtle’s absurd (for a C) amount of SB factor in heavily here, but still. My second immediate reaction is: JR Towles and Geovany Soto in the top 10? Holy crap is catching poor right now. I still don’t think we all truly understand how lucky we got with Martin yet.

Where’s the love for Jeff Kent?

I hadn’t noticed, but apparently Jeff Kent sucks now or something.  His Average Draft Position is 202.19, 16th among second basemen.  Did this guy not hit .302-20-79-78-1 last year?  Has he not been a model of consistency since back when you were playing with Go-bots?

Here are a bunch of second basemen who are being picked before Kent, who shouldn’t:

  • Dan Uggla
  • Kelly Johnson
  • Dustin Pedroia
  • Orlando Hudson
  • Kaz Matsui
  • Asdrubal Cabrera

Asdrubal going before Kent is the perfect example of fantasy leaguers blindly opting for youth over boring experienced guys.  Asdrubal Cabrera can’t hold Jeff Kent‘s jockstrap in fantasy baseball, even if he does steal 15 bags.  Ditto with Pedroia going before Kent or Placido Polanco.

The fact that people, fantasy or otherwise, think Kaz Matsui is a good baseball player blows my mind. It was acceptable for the Rockies because they pulled him off the trash heap – i.e. “replacement player”. But then Houston giving him 3 years and $16.5 million? Yeesh. I actually kind of feel bad for Houston fans.

Remember, kids – Kent may not be a great defender, and he may be a dick. But the man can still hit, and better than just about anyone not named Chase Utley at his position.

- Mike Scioscia’s tragic illness msti-face.jpg