Even though SKC is my team, I haven't actually lived in Kansas City for about eight years--I moved to Portland in 2004, then to Berkeley in 2008 for graduate school, and I relocated the Pacific NW about a year ago for my first job out of grad school.

Jeld-Wen field is a pretty good place to catch a soccer game, considering it was primarily a baseball stadium for much of its life. I didn't have an expensive seat--an upper-level terrace seat--but I had a decent view of the action from sitting just beyond the penalty arc. From there, I recorded a lot of stray observations and tried to come up with player ratings for the game (I tried to stick to Alex's curve on this one, where 6 represents an unremarkable, neutral performance). Feel free to leave feedback, positive and negative. I don't get to watch many SKC games live anymore for obvious reasons, so I wanted to make the most of it!

-It had nothing to do with the game itself, but Portland fans do something odd during the national anthem--at the end of each line, they raise their towels in their right hand as a sort of salute...has anyone seen this before? I had no idea what it was.

-I was surprised that PV trotted out the starting lineup that he did--I figured Cesar would get another game off, and that we might see Jacob Peterson or Michael Harrington. I would have started Nagamura over Cesar.

-Was not the least bit surprised to see most of the attacks in the first half come down Chance Myers's side. Like our forwards, Kris Boyd will go from side to side, but he seemed to spend much of his time battling with Chance and Aurelien Collin.

-Speaking of which, this was an absolutely terrible game for Chance. The own goal aside, he got burned pretty badly two or three times in the first half and Aurelien had to save his bacon. He played better in the second half, but still, oof.

-This was a physical game to be sure, but in the first half, Portland was the more physical team, and we really had to work at creating chances--CJ and Kei created one chance early, but they finished weak. Troy Perkins wasn't really tested until the 2nd half injury time. Despite us having more possession, we weren't always dictating play. It was a rough game, and the yellow cards handed out were deserved.

-I wrote in my notes that I would have subbed off Cesar at halftime. He had a bad first half, and his yellow card early in the second half could have ended way worse.

-Nobody in the SKC offense was really able to create any chances except for Kei and Zusi, and neither of them were finishing well. The experiment of switching Kei and Bobby Convey on opposite flanks in the second half didn't work this time.

-I was very surprised that PV waited until 70 minutes in to make his first substitution given that they were playing on turf and it was their 3rd game in 8 days. I liked both substitutions but thought they should have happened a lot sooner.

-It seriously is only a matter of time before Besler's long throw-ins start yielding even more results for SKC. Their best chance came at the very end off of one of those when Troy Perkins mishandled the ball.

Player Ratings:

Jimmy Nielsen: 7. Not at fault for the own goal, and he made a couple excellent plays in the second half that prevented the final line from being 2-0 or 3-0.

Chance Myers: 3. Not gonna kick the poor guy when he's down. At least he improved in the second half, and he had one decent chance on a shot that went over.

Aurelien Collin: 7 (Man of the Match). He helped make Kris Boyd a non factor in the game (that cross should never have ended in the net--the only players there to catch it were Chance and Julio Cesar), and that constitutes a good days' work for any central defender.

Matt Besler: 6. Usually solid, but indirectly contributed to the own goal by being out of position. But responsible for the best scoring chance we had all game as well.

Seth Sinovic: 6. Solid effort, got burned once or twice but I can see the chemistry between him and Convey gel.

Julio Cesar: 4. Looked very tentative early on with both his defense and his passing, and the miscommunication with Chance was disastrous.

Roger Espinoza: 6. Typical gas-pedal performance from Roger--he was everywhere on the pitch, and was involved in a number of the few offensive forays we had.

Graham Zusi: 6. I vacillated between a 5 and a 6 here for Zusi, as he wasn't at his most effective and I think expectations are higher for him. I was generous and rounded up.

Bobby Convey: 6. I am probably a little more pro-Convey than Alex is, and it is clear that Convey is working well with Seth and Roger, but that hasn't yet translated into many results, including in this game.

Kei Kamara: 6. More than any player except maybe Graham Zusi, Kei worked at creating chances for himself and others, but his weak finishes seldom tested Troy Perkins.

CJ Sapong: 5. After combining for an early chance with Kei, CJ was invisible for long stretches of the game and made few serious attacks on goal.

Teal Bunbury: 5. A good idea for a substitution, but Teal didn't create many threats despite his attempts to get involved in the attack.

Paulo Nagamura: 6. Brought more certainty to the central midfield than Julio Cesar did. If Cesar's only hangup was being injured, then we'll find out soon enough, as SKC has two weeks until their next game, I believe. But if Julio is starting to have a bit of bad form, I'd be very comfortable handing the reins over to Paulo. Rating would be higher if he had come on sooner to make more of a difference.

If you've gotten this far...thanks for humoring me. =) Thanks.

Subtitled: "We need a hitter whose OBP doesn't blow"

This is predicated off of the Star's picture of Jacobs, in which KC Chris and I surmised that Jacobs was trying his hand at showtunes.  So, I figured that a one-act musical might be the best way for me to chronicle my feelings on the Jacobs-for-Nunez trade.  Hopefully this doesn't violate Will's policy of centering the trade discussion in one thread.  In any case, enjoy!

Cut to: Royals' front office. Dayton Moore is at his desk, JJ Picollo walks in.

Picollo:

Still hard at work, boss?
Why not look on the bright side,
Last season was not a total loss.
Your leadership has not been decried.

Greinke, Aviles, and Kila, too
All these players are improving
And though Guillen has joined our crew
You may yet win us a Series ring

Moore:

Yet even though better times are ahead
There are those who want us feathered and tarred
They look at our motley collection of batters with dread
Who thought finding a slugger would be so hard?

Picollo:

What about that Butler kid?

Moore (abruptly):

That Butler kid is a tub of lard.

Picollo:

Or...maybe that Gordon batter
He's George Brett's long-lost son, you know
He can't hit lefties, but does that matter?

That just means he has room to grow

Moore:

Gordon has disappointed me
As has your predecessor, Deric Ladnier
So I showed him the door, verily,
I'll also to Gordon if his potential is still unclear

Picollo:
So why not make a trade?
Pitching is the currency of baseball, you say,
So use it to help our lineup make the grade
Do it! Before Grudzielanek's hair turns gray...

Moore:

We're getting rid of Grudz, did you get the memo?
But you're right, a trade will do us some good
We need a hitter whose OBP doesn't blow...
To find him and bring him to our neighborhood

Picollo and Moore, in unison:

We need a hitter whose OBP doesn't blow...
But who it is, we just don't know!

End scene. Cut to: Kauffman Stadium's clubhouse

Hillman:

Dear Jesus, I pray to you
For guidance, wisdom, and home field victories
For patience, justice, and Big League Chew
And for someone to handle Jose Guillen with eeeeeeeease

But now I ask for one thing more
For a batter who will ignite our lineup
Who will drive in runs and run up the score
And who will drive our win percentage up

*overhears Moore and Picollo singing in the front office, and rushes in*

Dear gentlemen, I was just speaking to God
It was a weird feeling, like I had just drank six gins
And I felt we should look where others have not trod
Why not call up our friends with the Marlins?

Picollo:

Who could the Marlins have that we possibly need?
I mean, besides that Uggla fellow, or Josh the outfielder?
(McCain's been rubbing off on me, curse my news feed!)
And why work with Loria, that stingy art dealer?

Moore:

I have it! I got it! I am such a darned smarty
Mike Jacobs will be our new first baseman in 2009
With him in the lineup, we can throw us a party
And he'll put that wussy boy Butler back into line

Picollo:

What happened to OBP, what happened to walks?
This Jacobs character hits doubles and home runs galore
But before we start talks
Do I need to preach to you about what plate discipline is for?

Hillman:

Aw, cork it, old JJ, you're not any fun
We need more batters who will often go deep
So to me, it seems, how the story may be spun
Is if we acquire this Jacobs fool on the cheap

Hillman and Picollo leave, Moore calls Michael Hill, the Florida GM

Moore:

Mr. Hill, my good friend, I have a proposition for you
As you know, I am in need of more offense
I would like to obtain Mike Jacobs for my boys in blue
...even though my #2 says that it makes little sense

I'll give you Carlos Rosa
He's a very top prospect
From him, strikeouts, and ground balls,
And wins are what to expect

Sure, he's been injured,
Sure he's had Tommy John,
But the doctors say he'll be cured
And boy, you should see him pitch when he's on

Oh? That doesn't cut it?
I am rather surprised
Rosa was bait I thought would be bit
But his value to you is not what I surmised

Well, how about this young Nunez chap?
Sure, he has been injured as well
But his future unfolds like a neat little map
He could be your closer, though time will only tell

You say yes? Wow, that was awful quick
It makes me wonder if I've missed something here
Was it that OBP thing? No my instincts are slick...
No matter, I have by slugger, which calls for great cheer!

Cut to: Florida Marlins front office. GM Hill calls Mike Jacobs in for a talk

Hill:

Mike, you hit over thirty homers this year
So you are probably due for one hefty raise
Except Loria is Scrooge-like with the money he holds dear
I truly think that man might have a malaise

Whatever, that's not why I called you here
I traded you to the Royals, where you can still rake
Dayton Moore's offer grabbed me by the ear
And so I offered them you for all I could take

Jacobs:

I've been traded to the Royals?!
Oh, for fuck's sake...

*Curtain*

The Kansas City Star's Sam Mellinger has the scoop here:

http://www.kansascity.com/news/breaking_news/story/751250.html

Terms are not yet available, but Mellinger does indicate that Hosmer did not receive a major-league deal, so he won't start on our 40-man roster--a good thing.  Otherwise, though, Mellinger's writeup doesn't contain a ton of new material, but this is very very good news for Royals fans, and it caps what appears to be an excellent draft at the outset for GMDM and Co.

Jeffrey Flanagan reports.

Could've seen this coming--apparently Moose Tacos has been playing pretty bad D in Burlington, but pretty much everyone knew he wouldn't last at SS, and he as much acknowledges that himself in the article.

I'm willing to bet that a couple of years from now, if Alex Gordon is still around and Moustakas is knocking on the door of the big-league club, we may see Moustakas move again to right field (or perhaps Gordon to first base if Moustakas can hack it defensively at third).

I am not sure where to stick this, but I feel the need to write about this publicly, so I guess a fanpost is as good a place as any.

While surveying the various fanposts today over my morning OJ, I began noticing some interesting advertisements in the right-hand vertical column of the site.  One in particular caught my attention because it contained a side-by-side juxtaposition of the pictures of Barack Obama and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad with the caption "Is it okay to unconditionally meet with anti-American foreign leaders?" followed by, "Paid for by John McCain 2008."

Now, aside from, say, the occasional cutting reference to Bush by someone like me or NYRoyal, RR has generally been a politics-free zone.  I'm not opposed to us discussing politics, but when the site is hosting extremely negative and arguably xenophobic political attack ads, I feel compelled to protest (full disclosure--I intend to vote for Barack Obama in November, but I would feel equally uncomfortable if I found out the site was hosting ads from his campaign that said that John McCain eats puppies).

Again--I'm not saying RR has to be a politics-free zone.  But my questions are two-fold--first, how did such advertising make its way here in the first place, and second, is there anyone else here who feels similarly, that such advertising should not have a place here?

I ask these questions not to be inflammatory myself--I fervently hope that any discussion that takes place on this fanpost is of a civil nature and does not degenerate into attacks on each others' politics--but the presence of these ads is really disconcerting to me and RR/SB Nation/whoever can consider this my request that such ads be pulled from the site if at all possible.

I found this link through MLBTR, but SI's Jon Heyman ranks what he believes are the top ten GMs in MLB today.  The full list looks like this:

1. Theo Epstein, BoSox
   
2. Billy Beane, A's
   
3. Dave Dombrowski, Tigers
   
4. Mark Shapiro, Indians
   
5. Brian Cashman, Yankees
   
6. Pat Gillick, Phillies
   
7. Josh Byrnes, Diamondbacks
   
8. Omar Minaya, Mets
   
9. Dan O'Dowd, Rockies
   

Now, some of these picks I agree with (Epstein, Dombrowski, Shapiro, and to a degree Minaya).  But putting Kenny Williams on the list boggles me.  The best thing that Heyman can say for Williams is that he was at the helm for the first White Sox championship team in decades, but then goes on to concede that a lot of Williams's recent moves have done more harm than good.  Heyman doesn't mention any of the numerous bad trades Williams has made or the fumbles he made during the offseason (such as letting Torii Hunter slip through his fingers).  If I were making a list of the ten worst GMs in baseball today, well, then  I'd feel compelled to include Williams.

But this is not a diary entry solely dedicated to basing Kenny Williams (fun as that activity is).  Other points worth noting from my perspective:

I'm not sure just how high I'd rank Brian Cashman solely because he so consistently overpays for FA's that end up redefining the term "horrible."  

I'd rank Towers way higher than 10th, and certainly not in a tie with Williams--that's just an insult to Towers.  Some say Towers may be one of the best GMs in baseball today, if not the best.

One of the warrants Heyman gives for ranking the Diamondback's Byrnes so high is the Haren trade.  I'm willing to see this one pan out, but the D-Backs took a huge risk with that trade--they completely gutted their vaunted farm system for the guy.  Heyman seems to like risk-taking GMs, but right now, I'm still neutral at best on the Haren trade.

It'll be interesting to see how Michael Hill does at the Marlins under the thumb of the cheapest franchise owner in MLB today.

Here's the link: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/jon_heyman/02/18/heyman.bestGMs/index.html

According to the source of all that is worth knowing, MLBTR, the Twins have agreed to ship Johan Santana to the Mets for Carlos Gomez, Philip Humber, Deolis Guerra, and Kevin Mulvey.

The deal is apparently still contingent on the Mets signing Santana to a long-term deal, but that appears to be the only roadblock left to this being a done deal.

Bumped from the diaries..-RR

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/7584366?CMP=OTC-K9B140813162&ATT=49

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports is saying that we've obtained the services of lefty reliever Ron Mahay for two years at $4MM per year.

I like this move a lot.  It turns Jimmy Gobble and John Bale into an excellent trading chips for GMDM, and I think Mahay can probably work set-up duty in games where Yabuta needs a day off.  There is now no reason to think that the bullpen can't replicate its excellent 2007 performance, as we've replaced Dotel and Riske with Yabuta and Mahay.  MLBTR seems to like this move a lot too, since we are getting Mahay for about the same price (maybe a bit less) as the Phillies paid for J.C. Romero, who isn't as good, plus we're only on the hook for two years instead of three.

Mahay's stats can be found here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/m/mahayro01.shtml

Except for a shortened 2005, Mahay has turned in four solid years in a row.  In general, he looks to be a solid investment for the Royals.  (And, this screws with the Yankees' plans, as they reportedly wanted Mahay as well, so this makes me even happier.)

Given the high level of interest in Hiroki Kuroda both in the Royals front office and here at RR, I think this warrants a new diary entry.

Initial reports are that the Dodgers were able to snag Kuroda for three years at $36-40MM, which translates into around $12-13.5MM per year.  I'm guessing the Royals might've been willing to go to a fourth year for Kuroda, but unwilling to go beyond $11MM a year.

In any case, this pretty much means the Dodgers' rotation next year is going to be loaded if Jason Schmidt is healthy, with Schmidt, Brad Penny, Chad Billingsley, Derek Lowe, and now Hiroki Kuroda.

Suddenly, doesn't Carlos Silva look at least a little bit more attractive for the Royals? :)

According to MLBTR, the Astros have just sold the farm to acquire Miguel Tejada from the Orioles.  The Orioles' haul:

-Troy Patton, p (Houston's #3 prospect in Baseball America, with a career 2.99 ERA in the minors)
-Mike Costanzo, 3b (#6 prospect, .266/.364/.456 line in the minors)
-Matt Albers, p (#3 prospect on the team's list for 2007--has a career 3.62 ERA in the minors and an impressive 9.24 K/9)
-Luke Scott, of (.273/.366/.516 line in chunks of three major league seasons)
-Dennis Safarte, p (3.68 career ERA in minors, but had a down year in 2007 and has already spent seven years without much big-league experience)

I'd agree with MLBTR's analysis that this is a great trade for Baltimore--I think this was a fairly lousy trade by Houston--they gave up three solid prospects, a decent outfielder, and another pitcher to have Miguel Tejada around right at the time when he will likely start declining.  Even if you write off Tejada's drop in 2007 as an aberration (his previous three years in Baltimore were good stats-wise), I'm having a hard time figuring out how to justify this trade...although moving to the NL will likely help Tejada's output.  I suppose we'll see.

Discuss.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/john_donovan/12/04/royals.spending/index.html?eref=T1

Donovan writes about the more aggressive approach the Royals have been taking in business deals ever since Dayton Moore became the GM.  I like a lot of what Donovan is writing, although he conveniently forgets to mention that Gil Meche (whom he correctly offers as an example of the GMDM's strategy of overpaying when necessary) proved he was worth the $11MM/year last season, even though plenty of columnists were blasting the signing left and right beforehand.

That being said, I think it is a good sign that the Royals are again making the columns of people like Donovan, Verducci, and others in a positive light.  It seems like Donovan is tacitly admitting that Moore's strategy of overpaying when need be is basically working--Moore played last year's winter meetings like a harp, walking away with Meche, Bannister, and Soria, and it seems like there is a lot of confidence in him from the media to come up with a similar haul this year as well.