Baseball 2012

[jimmy olsen]

A new year means time for a new thread.

The Marlins should be really strong this year.

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=Akyc_HJO5Ppdkmk678mDIF85nYcB?slug=ti-brown_hardball_zambrano_trade_cubs_marlins_010412

Trade gives Zambrano another shot at happiness
Tim Brown

By Tim Brown, Yahoo! Sports 58 minutes ago

There are no last chances in baseball, not as long as you happen to be a pitcher and your dominant appendage remains attached and you can win a game or 12.

So, Carlos Zambrano's move to the Miami Marlins – he's taking his malcontent to South Beach, according to reports – is no day of reckoning for the mercurial, 30-year-old right-hander, no matter how it might be cast.

It might, however, be his last chance at happiness – true happiness – in a game that's tried to make him happy for most of his life. Frankly, the game's exhausted from the effort.

He's on a contender. He's pitching for his pal and fellow Venezuelan, manager Ozzie Guillen. He's in a ballpark surrounded by folks who aren't so tired of his act they'd just as soon watch him drive away than witness another destructive meltdown, no matter his aptitude.

And, for the first time in who knows how long, he won't be the most disgruntled guy in the clubhouse. I'm guessing Hanley Ramirez will hold that honor, assuming he's still a Marlin in six weeks.

No, Zambrano, 30 going on 12 and too often an embarrassment to his uniform, has too much to pitch for in 2012 to make this anything less than a stroke of genius for David Samson, Larry Beinfest and the rest of the Fishmen.

Zambrano will earn – I'm assuming he'll "earn" it this time – $18 million this season, a good portion presumably paid by the team that dealt him, the Chicago Cubs. And that's the last of the guaranteed big money. His 2013 option – for $19.25 million – vests with a top-four finish in the National League Cy Young vote and finishing the year healthy.

Hey, if the game doesn't drive you, if your career isn't about teammates or championships or showing up or dignity, that sort of leaves money. And there's no shame in that. There's weaker motivation.

ESPN Chicago reported Wednesday afternoon the Cubs had shipped Zambrano and his baggage (and, presumably, some luggage) to the Marlins for right-hander Chris Volstad, who was 5-13 with a 4.89 ERA last season.

That's good for the Cubs, good for new manager Dale Sveum, good for the nice people of Chicago, and especially good for Zambrano. No matter how many sit-downs he had with Theo Epstein, no matter how eloquent the orations on fresh starts and new men, Zambrano had gone toxic in Chicago. There's no hosing that off the Wrigleyville sidewalk.

So, I hope Carlos Zambrano sees this for what it is – not one more shot at the career that seemed ahead of him four years ago, but one more shot at being satisfied with the career he looks back on.

[Sophie Scholl]

Meh, I'm not so sure.  Bringing in a bunch of talented but troubled guys into a situation where the existing star has to change positions and already was a malcontent before, all coached by Ozzie Guillen?  Sounds like a recipe for disaster to me.  I kind of hope it is too, as I hate what the team did to the local area in terms of gouging and odds are bribing their way to their new stadium.  Throw in that the owner is the arch-villain Loria, and I despise them already.

I'm definitely hoping to try to get to quite a few parks this year, with at least two games to Cleveland already more or less settled, a trip to Fenway in the planning stage, an invite on a Chicago-Milwaukee jaunt, and an open offer to visit my buddy who lives in Pittsburgh and has season tickets to the Buccos.  This could be a great summer for me in terms of travel and baseball.  I'm more than ready for things to start up, as football is over for me with Cleveland and Oakland out, and hockey is meh due to the Sabres sucking.  Heck, I've been tempted to subscribe to mlb.tv to watch old games and spring training games when they start to get me pumped for the season.

I'm holding out some hope that the Indians or the Royals make some strides this year, with the Indians getting damned close to overtaking the Royals as my favorite team.  I've already wasted so many years and so much dedication in the Royals that I feel that if this big push falls short, I'm done.  I'm sick of the constant rebuilding and the selling of just a few more years.  Their history is far less impressive and interesting than the Tribe, and other than the Royals, I have no interest in the entire city of Kansas City, whereas I like Cleveland and the Browns and the city is much closer and open to visits.  All things in time though.  For now, Go Royals.  Go Tribe.  Go baseball!

[jimmy olsen]

Villains are more entertaining when they're good then when they just fall apart. After all it was a lot more fun watching the Heat fail against the Mavericks then it was watching the Eagles fall apart in the first five games of the season this year.

[Eddie Teach]

I didn't think even people who lived in Cleveland liked Cleveland. Aren't they the ones with the motto "At least we're not Detroit?"

[Capetan Mihali]

other than the Royals, I have no interest in the entire city of Kansas City, whereas I like Cleveland and the Browns and the city is much closer and open to visits.

Hmm, K.C.M.O. always struck my interest as a city.  I almost worked at their public defender office last summer and I'd still like to visit sometime.  Love Cleveland though.

[Valmy]

The Miami Marlins?  Never heard of them.

[jimmy olsen]

Larkin was elected to the Hall of Fame.

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/45926064/ns/sports-baseball/

[sbr]

Larkin was a nice player, but not HoF worthy in my opinion.  Of course Larkin is a hell of  a lot more worthy than Craig Biggio who is going to make the HoF just for staying healthy for 20 years.

[jimmy olsen]

Larkin was a nice player, but not HoF worthy in my opinion.  Of course Larkin is a hell of  a lot more worthy than Craig Biggio who is going to make the HoF just for staying healthy for 20 years.

First of all durability is an integral part of any sport, secondly Biggios stats are great. 3060 hits, 668 doubles and 1175 RBI.

[sbr]

Larkin was a nice player, but not HoF worthy in my opinion.  Of course Larkin is a hell of  a lot more worthy than Craig Biggio who is going to make the HoF just for staying healthy for 20 years.

First of all durability is an integral part of any sport, secondly Biggios stats are great. 3060 hits, 668 doubles and 1175 RBI.

Sure staying healthy is important, but not HoF worthy.  I want the very best of the best in my HoF, not really good players with good luck or good genes.  In my opinion you shouldn't have to look at a guy's stats to decide if he is HoF worthy (assuming you are a contemporary of the player), you should just know if he was or not.

And yes Biggio's stats are great because he played most every game for 20 years.  Name one memorable moment from Biggio's career.  That was not his 3,000th hit.  I've got nothing.  Was he ever even the best player on his own team?  He made the playoffs a handful of times and did nothing there, made one World Series and I don't think he had anything major to do with that (I could be wrong).  When I think Craig Biggio I think "Nice little player, nothing to be ashamed of"; not "Holy shit he was one of the best ever!!"

YMMV

[dps]

Biggio was probably the 2nd best all-around player of the 90s, and might have been the best if Bonds hadn't started jucing around 1996.

[derspiess]

Larkin was a nice player, but not HoF worthy in my opinion.  Of course Larkin is a hell of  a lot more worthy than Craig Biggio who is going to make the HoF just for staying healthy for 20 years.

I think he probably deserved it, though I wouldn't admit it to anyone around here.  Instead, I like to point out 2001-2003 when his salary crippled the team and he contributed almost nothing.

[derspiess]

Anyway, I'm thinking I might take a year off from baseball.  The 2011 playoff run & WS title are enough to keep me warm for a while, and I can see 2012 being a rough year as the Cards adjust to a new manager & not having Pujols.

[The Minsky Moment]

Biggio had certain characteristics common among under-rated players: he didn't do one thing spectacular but he did a lot of things really well (hit lots of doubles, 20 HR years, some SBs, decent average, etc) and he had a few "hidden skills" like getting hit by tons of pitches and avoiding GIDPs.  That actually led him to become over-rated by certain analysts, notably Bill James, who I think was responsible for the "best player in the 90s claim".  That claim is more of a tribute to the fact that Biggio nicely compacted his best years in the 1990-99, more than an indication that anyone ever thought he was the one of the top 3 players in the majors at anytime during the period.  Obviously, he wasn't .  Even focuding on that specific 10 year period, besides Bonds, there was Junior, Frank Thomas, Bagwell, and at the same position Robby Alomar.

Biggio's ability to move from catcher to 2B and play decently was an impressive achievement, but aside from winning a few GG with his bat, he was nothing special at the position.  His value declined after the 90s, and he was a net negative the last two years he spent chasing 3000 hits.

Larkin's career covered the same period and in many ways he was a similar player to Biggio.  Larkin had less HR and line drive power and lacked all those HBPs but his average was a little better and he played a more demanding position.  If you compare him to past HOF shortstops (like Reese, Rizutto etc) he look pretty damn good.  But he suffers from the same problem as Alan Trammel - the rise of big hitting shortstops in the late 90s like Jeter, Nomah, ARod, which continues to the present day -- makes their offensive numbers looks a little less impressive in comparison.

IMO both are borderline candidates.  I could see voting no, but voting yes is hardly an outrage.  They are well above the level of Rice and Dawson, to pick on two questionable recent selections.

[fhdz]

Zambrano's an ass.

For the Cubs, this year will be damage control + rebuilding, next year will be more building + fine tuning, and the following year will be a good playoff shot. I have faith in Theo.

I am a Cubs fan. That is synonymous with "I can be patient."