SB Nation User Blog: hairball

Oakland ready to trade Hairston?

hairball — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 16:10:56 -0000

Oakland ready to trade Hairston?

Right-handed, decent power, has always killed the Giants. I'd certainly prefer him to spods.

So, Molina has to hook on with a new team and hope he does not fall too far in the batting order,...

hairball — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 17:44:14 -0000

So, Molina has to hook on with a new team and hope he does not fall too far in the batting order, hope that last year’s BABIP road numbers were a fluke, hope that he can maintain one of the best FB% in the majors and hope he can put up arguably the best season of a 35-year-old catcher in history to match last season’s numbers.

fangraphs on how we dodged a bullet

RIDICULOUS poll (probably NSFW)

hairball — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 23:43:35 -0000

The candidates:

75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75

Poll

Which Animals Mating picture is the most full of win?

GET. GOMES. NOW.

hairball — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 22:19:48 -0000

GET. GOMES. NOW.

Seriously, this is a Christmas present if the Giants have any shot at it. Serious right-handed power. Do it.

OT: A Cry for Help

hairball — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 00:43:56 -0000

So, me and Mrs. Hairball are what some of you might call "Foodies", or food snobs, or something similar. We own a lot of cookbooks, spend far less frugally on food than other things in our life, eat seasonally and organic, blah blah blah, and WE COOK A LOT!

So it pains me to say the following:

I just found out that I'm allergic to garlic.

Like, what the fuck man? Garlic? You've got to be kidding me.

But I now have the little card to go in my wallet saying that I am "highly reactive" to garlic. I have eaten it nearly every day of my adult life. Obviously, I don't go into shock or anything. This is what you call a "delayed onset" type of reaction. But after years of thinking I was reacting to something else (gluten, dairy?) it turned out to be garlic that was screwing up my digestion and generally making me miserable.

So, my cry for help- anyone else here with this affliction? Any good substitutes that anyone is aware of? I may have to learn to love the stuff called "devil's dung"/hing, which seems to be the most popular substitution, but I'm curious about garlic chives, elephant garlic (not really garlic?), "society garlic", etc. I'm not reactive to onions, so there may be some hope regarding other members of the Allium family.

/feeling sorry for self

2009 Carter-Batista Award

hairball — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:32:42 -0000

2009 Carter-Batista Award

Wherein we discover that between 2007-2009, Benji's offensive value was exaggerated by RBI totals more than any other player!

It sounds like the Giants and Mets will be the main competitors for Molina's services." Ugh....

hairball — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 19:29:16 -0000

It sounds like the Giants and Mets will be the main competitors for Molina's services."

Ugh. Please no.

Link

XAVIER NADY: Being a Bay Area native, I see the Giants as a legit suitor for him. The Giants would...

hairball — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:54:14 -0000

XAVIER NADY: Being a Bay Area native, I see the Giants as a legit suitor for him. The Giants would surely give him a three year deal. Sure up RF, then look to LF and 3B maybe? "

"kuyote" at mlbtraderumors

I don't like this notion at all.

Akinori Iwamura- what could have been I have to admit, I find it interesting that the Pirates may...

hairball — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 22:27:41 -0000

Akinori Iwamura- what could have been

I have to admit, I find it interesting that the Pirates may not have to give up much for Akinori Iwamura. The idea of Sanchez at third (where he was during his excellent 2006), Iwamura at 2nd, and Pablo at first ALMOST makes me able to stomach Renteria at short.

Iwamura trade

The Premium Price of Fixing History

hairball — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:56:55 -0000

If Brian Sabean's crack team of experts could recognize position player skills one iota, this diary would not be necessary.

In 2009, Chone Figgins became a star based on OBP and defense, not to mention the fact that the guy could steal bases. Seen by some as the "perfect leadoff hitter", Figgins put together a slash line of .298/.395/.393, aided by 42 SB and a third base UZR rating of 14.5. All of this combined to give him the highest WAR of his career, 5.9, making him worth superstar money in his walk year. Bling bling.

The same season, the younger Rajai Davis (remember him?) stole 41 bases at a higher success rate while appearing in far less games than Figgins. Davis' OBP of .360 wasn't quite as hot as Figgins', but he was still able to put up a similar wOBA (.354 to Figgins' .358) while enjoying similar success in the field (11.1 UZR). All this was good for a 3.7 WAR, despite only 390 AB to Figgins' 615.

If the Giants end up springing for Figgins this offseason, I may complain, but not too loudly. An OBP-heavy leadoff hitter who can play good defense at third will solve some issues for the Giants (including 1B, which I imagine would then belong to Pablo), and of all the free agents, Figgins may be one of the best.

Still, paying uber dollars for one season of greatness is never a sure-fire strategy for success (as Sabean should know by now), and it will burn even more knowing that we gave up a very similar player that we had essentially gotten free. Wait, we traded Morris for Davis? That's better than free. How the hell did we let him get away?