I'm not a HUGE draft junkie except when it comes to big names and Cal players.  The consensus (even after OSU) was that C.J. Spiller is probably the first back off the board, with Jahvid going somewhere at the end of the first or early second.  That might have shifted a bit, at least according to ESPN's top two draft experts.

Todd McShay doesn't have him going in the first round, and in fact has Georgia Tech's Jonathan Dwyer off the board first at the end of the first.

Best has held tight at around No. 18-20 for most of the year on Mel Kiper Jr.'s "Big Board" (which is just raw rankings, not draft projections), but he's fallen off the Top 25 altogether in the last ranking (12/9).  Caveat: Kiper says he doesn't consider underclassmen at that early a stage unless they project in the top 15 or 20, so Best might merely have shifted to 21 or 22.

I suspect Jahvid will shoot back up draft charts if he's back for the Poinsettia Bowl, but if his status come declaration time is still "sometime in the second" instead of "late-first or early-second", I'm curious how it'll affect his decision.  Lot of factors at play here, like his injury prone nature (is that a reason to come back and show teams he can stay healthy, or a reason to go pro so he can maximize the length of his career?), a fear of a Bradford-like season next year, a relatively thin RB class this year, the possibility of a rookie salary cap being instituted in the next CBA, a possible lock out in 2011, etc.

A couple weeks ago it seemed like a foregone conclusion that he goes, but if he doesn't come back for the Bowl Game and have a good game, I would be surprised if he leaves early.  Which you could argue is good (lots of talent at RB next year) or bad (a logjam at RB could potentially to hurt recruiting and/or prompt transfers... DeBo seems like the most likely candidate, given Vereen still has two years of eligibility and Yarnway four).

Thoughts?

Looked back to see if there was anything on this board, found only this, which is pure speculation.

This is in Jerry Crasnik's latest column:

6. Of the following "oldies but goodies" -- Jeff Bagwell, Mike Piazza, Sammy Sosa or Frank Thomas -- which player is most likely to have a productive, bounce-back season next year?

Responses: Thomas 8, Piazza 5, Bagwell 1, one no-decision.

Thomas was wearing a walking cast and playing spectator when the White Sox swept Houston in the World Series. He became a free agent last week when Chicago declined to exercise his $10 million option for 2006.

Before going down with a broken foot in July, Thomas hit 12 homers in 105 at-bats to give teams evidence that he has something left in the tank. He compensated for a .219 batting average with a .590 slugging percentage.

"Bat speed really isn't a huge issue for him," said a National League scout. "He controls the strike zone and he's going to find ways to get on base. I don't think you're going to get the Ted Williams version of Frank Thomas, but he still can be a very productive veteran player."

While Thomas might fit as a DH in Anaheim or Baltimore -- or even re-sign with Chicago -- his most intriguing suitor could be Oakland. Thomas lives in Arizona and apparently likes the thought of playing for a West Coast club. He's looks like the kind of bold move that Billy Beane enjoys making to shake things up a little.

Now I have heard absolutely nothing about this so it might be pure speculation on Crasnik's part, but he refers to Oakland as one of Thomas' "suitors," indicating that there might actually be something to it (however small).

My gut feeling is that he'll resign with Chicago, but you got to think that if the guy's already guaranteed a $3.5 million buy-out next year, he'll probably be willing to take less from another team.

Thoughts?

Not that many, but trust me, you'll love the last one.

This is Ucla the UCLA Monkey typically...

...but for this particular game against the Angels, he role-played as the Rally Monkey.

Freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeedooooooooooom...

And, the Coup de Grâce...

My friend Donny's AWESOME Scioscia/Mickey hybrid.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=miller_gary&id=2125912

It talks a bit about DJ's fan club in Minny, the effect Crosby has had, but this one is hands down my favorite part of the article:

On a team littered with players suffering back ailments, Joe Blanton was laboring through a recent start, and holding his back at times. Kendall went to the mound to see if everything was all right. When Blanton said his back was fine, Kendall barked at him, "Then why don't you start throwing the ball like it then?" And he did.

Nice.

I limited it to teams within 5 games of a play-off spot and over-.500 records (meaning no Baltimore). These numbers are taken off CBS Sportlines, so apologies if any of them are incorrect.  I didn't factor in games played because I'm lazy and I didn't think it'd have any significant bearing.  If anyone wants to do so, go right ahead.

Chicago
510 RS vs. 413 RA
+97

Toronto
513 RS vs. 444 RA
+69

Boston
570 RS vs. 502 RA
+68

Anaheim
480 RS vs. 421 RA
+59

Oakland*
503 RS vs. 450 RA
+53

New York
567 RS vs. 526 RA
+41

Cleveland
481 RS vs. 443 RA
+38

Texas
558 RS vs. 530 RA
+28

Minnesota
459 RS vs. 437 RA
+22

The only real surprise is how high up Toronto ranks, but maybe it shouldn't be that shocking.  They have a top 4 offense (best outside of the big bopping Boston-New York-Texas trifecta), a top 6 pitching staff in terms of ERA, and they've actually allowed fewer runs than the A's have.  They have the best run differential in their division (pretty amazing considering who they play with).  I'd watch out for them down the stretch if Halladay and Lilly come back healthy... that is a much better team than it appears at first glance.

Yesterday when Hatteberg drove in Crosby, I could have sworn he was Johnson.  I was utterly confused, because the broadcasters kept saying "Hatteberg" and I kept expecting them to correct themselves.  Even when they zoomed up on his face, I still thought it was Johnson until I realized that Hatteberg had shaved off his beard.  They have similar builds (Hatteberg's 6'1", 210 vs. Johnson's 6'2", 220), they both bat from the left-side, and can't say for certain since I haven't seen the A's much on TV this season, but they look like they have very, very similar batting stances.  The only big difference is that Johnson's now sporting some facial hair (which I was unaware of).  It's uncanny.

In Tuesday's game, I was watching on TV in the bottom of the 6th.  Finley's up, no one on, A's up 1-0.  Harden has him in a 1-2 count, then throws a ball.  Now at at this point, without anything resembling a rally in the works, the crowd starts cheering.  And then Finley strikes out.

So let's recap.  Even count, two strikes on their own hitter, no one on base, and they spontaneously start cheering.

Now it might just be that something happened in the stands (maybe some of them beach ballers got particularly rambunctious), but I don't think so.  It wasn't a sudden cheer like when a player makes a webgem or a fan makes a grab grab on a foul ball.  And it wasn't a "let's-go-home-team" kind of cheer either, any real baseball fan should be able to recognize those in a heartbeat.  It was more a building crescendo, like they were actually expecting something to happen now that the count was 2-2 instead of 1-2.  And it ended up sounding basically like they were cheering for Harden to strike out Finley.

Methinks they need to start distributing "How to" manuals at Angel Stadium.

Hopefully they'll remind Angel "fans" to leave those stupid thunderstix at home.

PS What the F*$# is it with Socalers and those freaking beach balls?

I was looking into it, and on John Sickels' site I found in his Top 20 Prospects review:

13. Brian Snyder: Extended spring training, rib cage injury.

And according to the official Minor League Baseball website, he had exactly two plate appearances and walked once for the "AZL Athletics".  It doesn't say when those two PA's were.

It sounds like he got hurt in extended spring training and never got back, but I have to wonder how severe his injury really is.  Unless he actually shattered a rib, I don't see how that kind of injury could keep him out this long.

I was pretty surprised to find that the guy had excellent numbers at Kane County last year, compiling a .905 OPS.  He did strike out quite a bit (80 times in about 360 ABs), but he's young.

Considering who we passed up to get him in the 2003 draft, Daric Barton (heh), Eric Duncan, and Carlos Quentin to close out the first round, I'd like to see him do well and up his trade value (especially since it's looking increasingly unlikely that Brad Sullivan is ever going to do the same).

This thread is inspired by the following comment by some random girl sitting behind me in the LF bleachers last night.

"Doesn't Jason Kendall look like Kevin Federline?  That's why I don't like him."

Wow.  Just... wow.  I have a particular disdain for stupid celebrities, so you can imagine how I feel about people who attain such status by marrying incumbent stupid celebrities.  Bringing that nonsense into the ballpark is just criminal.

The other comment that comes to mind was made by a drunk white guy in the stands at Dodger Stadium, when I went to go see a Freeway Series game a few months back.  All night he'd been throwing out nuggets about how Mike Scioscia's career was alive only because of his play with the Dodgers (which is probably true).  Then he dropped this one:

"Mike Scioscia would be nonexistent without the Dodgers!"

Might be one of those you-had-to-be-there moments, but it was just hilarious with the particular cadence he used and the fact that he was hammered out of his mind.

Anyone with similar experiences?

Not A's related, but I found it amusing:

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2107228

"HAVANA -- Cuba's top sports official said Wednesday he doubts the nation will participate in next year's World Baseball Classic, calling the event commercialization of the sport."

...

Words fail me.