SB Nation User Blog: pblack

Please Josey, don't ever leave this board!

pblack — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:22:24 -0000

I have been following LSB for several years at this point and I have noticed a common thread in its illustrious history. There is always 1 person that freaks everyone out. Since I have been here that person has changed but their ability to cause pandemonium amongst the other posters has been unparalleled. First it was Sharky with his bizarre love for young pop stars and radical politics. Then it was HurlerHurley with his alcohol-tinted ramblings and strange comments about sex with his wife. Today it is, of course, Josey Wales with his myopic hatred of Jon Daniels. I was inspired to bring all this up by a comment in the Will Carroll v. Josey thread that said something along the lines of "Josey, just go away." And to this I would ask, why would anyone want that?

First, these bizarre and eccentric posters add color to the board with their dizzying array of pointless comments and blind rage. Most of the game day threads would be like this: "yes," or, "you suck Blalock," or, "c'mon we need a hit here," without Josey saying something like, "Jonny Donuts never should have traded with the Padres, he sucks." Josey's comments immediately excite and enliven the thread and at least raises the level of comments to passionately self-righteous from simply mundane.

But if this is not enough to convince you of Josey et al's value, consider this, if he goes away history says he will be replaced by yet another chirping troll who will elicit the scorn of the "real fans" on the board. Someone like Barracudy or Robbie Ross' Roommate or Will Munny will come along with their bizarre obsession with iCarly or their drunken takes on Rangers' minor leaguers or their conviction that Nolan Ryan is just a propaganda tool of "insert new owner here." To lose someone like Josey is to replace him with someone more annoying and inane. If you don't believe me just think of this. People now look back on the Sharky days with fondness. Need I say more.

So to all you who want Josey gone I would say only this. It could be worse, and someday, if history is our guide, it probably will be.

Bradford should sit for Miami

pblack — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:06:35 -0000

The uncertainty surrounding Bradford's availability for the game against Miami on Saturday is galling. Not the uncertainty over his health, mind you, but the uncertainty over whether or not to play him. If you are 48 from game day and you aren't 100% sure he can play then he should not play. Period. End of discussion. For all our delusions of grandeur it is my opinion that, given the loss to BYU, this team is playing for a conference title alone at this point. I think it is unlikely that all the domioes will fall perfectly to see the Sooners into the national championship game. That makes this game against Miami little more than an exhibition. It would be nice to win, but we don't have to have it.

Further, this isn't the Joey Halzle era. Landry Jones gives this team a chance to win. I say play him, bring Bradforfd back against Baylor and go after the Big 12 title with abandon. This is not a must win game so it is not a must play game for Bradford. He should sit.

Saudis Looking to buy 50% of liverpool

pblack — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 12:46:41 -0000

This may or may not effect the Rangers, but I thought it would be worth posting. A Saudi group has apparently made a bid to buy 50% of Liverpool for more than Hicks and Gilette paid for the whole club a few years ago. I have no idea how this would effect Hicks and the Rangers but it probably is not bad news and I know several of you follow this sort of thing.

wordswordswordswordswordswordswordswords

Time to change our thinking

pblack — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 01:47:20 -0000

With Sam Bradford out for at least 2 weeks (and personally I think we will do well to see him on the field before October 17) and Jermaine Gresham out for the season it is time to rethink our perceptions of this team. In my opinion this team will look very similar to the 2006 season. In that year we saw Adrian Peterson go down against Iowa St and the Sooners became an old school, grind it out team. That team relied on a power running game highlighted by Allan Patrick and a stingy defense to record a Big 12 title and another BCS Bowl.

This season it seems likely that after Saturday the Sooners may not score more than 50 points again all season (they averaged 51/game last season). Instead, with coaches saying the no huddle will be deemphasized and a stable of healthy running backs, I would expect the Sooners to pound the rock and try to grind out wins, espcially while Landry is the QB. If Sam can come back at 100%, a big "if," then the offense might open up but without Gresham to draw coverage and defensive focus, and an inexperienced recieving corps, it will still be difficult to rack up big offensive numbers regularly.

This will raise the pressure on the defense who simply must perform much better than they did last season. Fortunately, with the exception of Tom Wort, that unit is injury free. If the BYU game was a preview they should be much improved by big tests await against Miami, Texas, Kansas, Tech and OSU. They simply can't give up a ton of points.

So I don't think the season is lost. The Sooners can still claim an unprecedented 4th straight conference title, but the road will be much more difficult and much less flashy than we had hoped. It should be an exciting season, perhaps too exciting, and the team will have to show the character and resolve they showed in 2006 to win any championships this season.

LSB Signing Thread Part II

pblack — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 03:08:33 -0000

This is the original stuff from Dirk's first post:

Tonight's the night.

12pm Eastern is the deadline for signing all non-college seniors from this year's draft.

There should be a flurry of news coming tonight so I figured it be good to have one place to discuss all the news as it breaks.

Some general News so far (updated as I can):

* Cardinals sign 1st rounder Shelby Miller for 2.95 million bonus. Highest announced bonus yet. Good comp for Purke?
* A's sign 4th rounder (And 1st Round Talent) Max Stassi for 1.5 million bonus. Bad for us.
* D-Rays announce they won't be signing either of their first two picks. Um, wow. They spent big on some signability picks already, but this sucks for everyone involved, imo. But I'm sure your clients will thank you later, Scott.
* Heyman twooted that the Nats have offered Strasjesus 12.5 million, but there's still a gap.

RANGERS' Shit:
Matt Purke is the name on everyone's mind. Our 1st round pick needs to get signed today or he goes to TCU and we get a pick in next year's draft. Yuck'ems to that.

http://startelegramsports.typepad.com/foul_territory/2009/08/matt-purke-update.html

Just about 13 hours to go until the 11 p.m. deadline to sign 2009 draft choices, and the Rangers continue to negotiate with first-round choice Matt Purke. The left-hander has been in town since last week, getting ready for a possible freshman year at TCU and also taking a physical and attending Saturday’s Rangers game with his parents. He met with several members of the club brass, who believe a deal will be reached.

This dispatch came from general manager Jon Daniels late last night: “Not much to say right now. I think both sides would like to see him in a Rangers uniform, but we’re not there yet. This is the system we have in place, and as such, we didn’t expect anything before tomorrow night. Hopefully it comes together, but I can’t say for sure at this point.”

That’s about on par with the Justin Smoak negotiations from last year. That ended well for both sides. Purke, though, seems to have a genuine fondness for TCU, and the Tom Glavine fan has been given No. 47 for next season.

I’m not so sure Smoak had any desire to return to South Carolina for a senior year. So, the TCU thing is leverage. But not signing today and waiting until the 2011 draft is a gamble, especially considering some believe Purke could be in the majors in 2011 or 2012.

— Jeff Wilson

Then there's Tanner Scheppers, who isn't on tonight's deadline because of his senior elgibility-ness, which means he can be signed at anytime up until one week before next year's draft. Don't expect anything on him today.

We also have a number of other interesting players who could be in play tonight.

9th rounder Jabari Blash is a super uber toolsy OF from a Florida Community College. The fact that he hasn't signed yet is a pretty good indication he's asking for well above slot.

10th rounder RHP Thomas Lemke is a tall, lanky peice of projection out of an Arizona HS who is apparently looking for a mid-to-high six figure deal to sway him from college. He'd be a nice add, but who knows.

Then there's 32nd Rounder Reggie Williams, Jr., who I super heart cause I super heart pure CF'ers who can go get the freaking ball, and Williams has the best speed in the entire draft. He's expected to go to college next year, though. I'd put the odds of him signing tonight at less than 1%.

Rangers Pitching Help

pblack — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 15:15:02 -0000

While the Rangers may make the playoffs, their rotation, as currently constituted, is undoubtedly not playoff-caliber. There has been a lot of talk about whom the Rangers might pursue this season to front their rotation. There are three proven TORPs discussed, but it seems unlikely any would be coming to Texas. Peavy has consistently stated his desire to remain in the NL; Drayton McClane has recently said he cannot see trading Oswalt and referenced their personal relationship, and the Jays are hanging around thus making a trade for Halladay less and less likely.

Outwith a proven TORP there are many pitchers who may be had that could be matches for the Rangers. Players like Matt Cain, Jonathan Sanchez, Chris Volstad et al have been mentioned but I would like to put forth my preference. If the Rangers are going to trade for an impact starter this season then I want them to target one guy; Josh Johnson of the Marlins.

I know Johnson's name had been mentioned in the above list, but I did not know much about him, so I did some research after watching him stifle the Brewers last night and what I discovered is an excellent young pitcher who would still be under control for 2 more seasons. Johnson is being paid 1.4$ this season. Here are some numbers. His ERA this season is 2.63 and he has struck out 72 while striking out 19 in 82 innings. For the more saber minded folks he has an ERA+ of 162 and a career ERA+ of 129. His FIP is 2.88 this season.

I know Johnson has had health problems in the past but I don't have a Baseball Prospectus subscription and can't say what Carroll has to say about him. He made only 14 starts last season while coming back from injury but this season has averaged almost 7 innings/start. He would undoubtedly require a significant package of prospects but, if the Rangers are going to make a deal this season, I would rather see them unload the farm for a young guy under control for 2 more seasons who then might be locked up through his prime. Johnson is from Tulsa and thus may be willing to remain in the Texas area through his career. So I am officially on the acquire Josh Johnson bandwagon now.

Wash Needs a Vote of Confidence

pblack — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 19:40:29 -0000

I have advocated changing managers since the second week of Ron Washington's tenure as the Ranger manager. I have found his in-game strategy to be poor and I have seen little on the field to show me that he is having a positive influence on the team. His hiring seems to have been an overcorrection from the unfortunate Showalter era and he seems better suited as a coach than a manger.

That being said, if he is going to be the manager he needs the full support of the organization, which it does not seem he has. It has been reported numerous times that Wash needs a strong start or he could be unempolyed by Labor Day. And I think we saw the results of that perspective yesterday. Let me compare 2 games from yesterday for you.

Game1: Cardinals v. Astros. The Cardinals starter, Kyle Lohse, was dominant in holding the Astros down. He was still on the mound in the ninth inning nursing a 3-0 lead at home when he began to unravel a bit. A single and a walk put two men on with two outs for Berkman. With a poor bullpen (practically Ranger-esque) LaRussa made the somewhat unconventional decision to stick with Lohse, who induced a fly out from Berkman to end the game.

Game 2: Rangers v. Tigers. You all know the situation so I won't rehash it, but Millwood had been dominant. The eighth began with the Tigers 8-9-1 hitters due up, but Wash took the conventional, or "safe", route, and brought in his 8th inning pitcher. The game unraveled and the Rangers lost.

I think that even if Wash had wanted to leave Millwood in the game, he simply didn't feel he could. It is much easier to justify bringing in Wilson to start the eighth than it is to justify leaving Millwood in the game. By bringing in Wilson he was more protected from being second guessed, in his mind. Second, I think Wash feels like these are must win games in April. He has to treat them like late season, pennant race games. Even with a 4 run lead and a dominant starter and the bottom of the order coming up, Wash wanted to make sure the game was a win, so he erroneously turned to Wilson.

I think his perception of needing April wins is having an adverse effect on his management. He might have made these decisions anyway, I don't know, but it can't be a good thing for his handlng of the team for him to feel like he is 30 days away from being unemployed. I think the Rangers should commit to him for the year and be done with it. I think this would help Wash feel a bit more comfortable and might help his decision making if he feels some margin for error.

OT: Happy Easter

pblack — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 12:57:56 -0000

In the midst of the hand-wringing over the 2 losses at Detroit I wanted to pause and wish everyone in the LSB community a happy and blessed Easter. If you are Christian I hope you take this day to reflect on the great gift we have recieved through Christ's life, death and resurrection. If you are not then I hope you will enjoy a springtime Sunday and that Kevin Millwood leaves you with positive feelings. I am not intending to start a religious flame war, I just wanted to give a shout out to the board on what is a very special day for me and, I assume, a few of you as well. May God's blessings be upon all of you.

Overreactions to the Yankees

pblack — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 15:21:49 -0000

I was wandering around various sites, reading headlines after the Teixiera signing and read this headline, "Does Tex make the Yankees unstoppable?" By my thinking, even with the signings of Sabathia, Burnett and Tex, the Yankees are far from a sure thing to finish above 3rd in the AL East. Coming into the offseason the Yankees lost Mussina and Pettite from their rotation and Abreu and Giambi from their lineup. My first question is, do the signings even replace what they lost?

In pitching, probably so, although Burnett is far from a sure things. Their rotation has some upside with Hughes and Chamberlain, but neither have been able to prove they can stay healthy. It is not hard to imagine a scenario where Burnett, Hughes and Chamberlain are all on the shelf for a big chunk of time.

Offensively, I don't think will be as good as last season. Their outfield is old and overcrowded, Jeter is not going to get better at this stage of his career, so at best they are hoping he returns to last season's form. They have a huge hole at catcher and will have to wonder if Cano can return to form at second. Where does Swisher fit now? Will anyone take Matsui off their hands? Will Damon continue to decline? All big questions still.

And then there are their rivals. The Rays will likely add an impact bat in Burrell, Abreu or Giambi to their young lineup and they will have a full season of Price in their rotation. They may not be as lucky in the bullpen but all their pitching prospects make you think there is some organizational depth there.

The Sox should also be tough. Their lineup is still better than the Yankee's and their young pitching is further along. They go into the season with Matsuzaka, Beckett, Lester and Wakefield and then someone like Buckholz in the fifth spot. Their bullpen should also be strong.

Please take a minute to vote in the poll and share your thoughts.

Poll

Will the Yankees finish above third place in the Al East?

Yes

65 votes

No

19 votes

84 votes | Poll has closed

OT: Heisman Trophy Poll

pblack — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 18:03:30 -0000

While I recognize that many no longer care about the Heisman, this year's trophy is the closest in years. Two of the candidates play in the Rangers' region and so I thought we should have a Lone Star Ball poll. In the comments please feel free to include the order you rank the players or your reason for picking the player you did.

My vote goes to McCoy because I think he did the most with the least. I am an OU fan, but I think Bradford's supporting cast is much more talented than McCoy's. I would vote Bradford second and Tebow third.

Poll

Who would you vote for to win the Heisman Trophy?

Sam Bradford (Oklahoma)

65 votes

Colt McCoy (Texas)

94 votes

Tim Tebow (Florida)

18 votes

177 votes | Poll has closed