Links for Sunday..
- The Phillies demoted Phillippe Aumont from Double-A back to High-A after a disastrous start to the season, tweets Dave Cameron of U.S.S. Mariner. Aumont was part of the Roy Halladay–Cliff Lee blockbuster.
- Peter Barzilai of USA Today explains why the Brewers should hold on to Prince Fielder.
- This week's Pirates/Nationals matchup may end up being the most interesting series between sub-.500 teams this season. Not only will Stephen Strasburg make his major league debut on Tuesday, but Pirates GM Neal Huntington says former first-round pick Brad Lincoln could make his first big league start on Wednesday, tweets Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
- Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times says the Cubs received some calls about Tom Gorzelanny's availability a few weeks ago, but that they have no immediate plans to move him.
- The newest Cardinal, Randy Winn, was a player Tony La Russa wanted the team to pursue this past winter, according to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
- Larry Brooks of the New York Post would like to see the Mets aggressively attempt to trade for Cliff Lee.
- The Denver Post's Troy Renck hopes the Rockies will inquire on Lee, as well as Dan Haren, if only to see what would it cost to acquire another ace.
- If you play fantasy baseball, be sure to stay on top of the saves category by following our @closernews account on Twitter and tracking the latest news on late-inning relievers around the league.
Bobby
“Larry Brooks of the New York Post would like to see the Mets aggressively attempt to trade for Cliff Lee.”
Ugh. This is gonna start a “the Mets have no farm system” discussion, isn’t it?
jammin502
The Cubs have a lot of depth at pitching, but maybe not in left handed relief. If they plan to keep him there and maybe rid themselves of Grabow, then I can see this move; otherwise, at this point, look into what you can get!
Jason_F
The Pittsburgh lineup is one that should help Big Time Timmy Jim right the ship.
Tony
i bet the rockies could find 3 farmhands to surrender to the d-backs for dan haren. not the mariners i hear theyre looking for farm bats. if the rockies aquire dan haren then they will the the subject of the NL
ReverendBlack
@CaseyB You are profoundly confused about abstract issues like “justice” and “equality”, so I will try to help get this back on track by just cutting to the heart of the issue:
Explaining to you that equality (“levelness”) is not desirable, I said, for example: “We don’t want people to be equally talented or perform equally well.”
You replied: “No one is arguing for that. You are confusing the issues. Those who want equality in baseball want a level playing field — equal opportunity to the same talent pool.”
Welp. Equal opportunity to spend already exists! Problem solved then! Hoorah!
But it isn’t, is it. Because you’re still whining. Because you want equal ABILITY to spend, not equal opportunity. Shucks.
So the analogy I introduced fits perfectly after all, and you don’t even understand what you want, let alone why you want it. See why I told you to google things the first time? =P
caseyB
LOL, you know very well there is no “equal opportunity to the same talent pool.” Your trying to play semantics is pretty sad and a sure sign you know you’ve lost the argument. Nothing you’ve said makes sense for baseball. As I said above, you are in the tiny minority. It’s a good thing the likes of you don’t run the game as it would be ruined right now — with perhaps 20 teams all confined to major cities and full of roided up players that look like Barry Bonds. Now tell me, what team do you root for.
ReverendBlack
“pro sport isn’t supposed to be based on pure economics.”
Do tell. What’s it “supposed” to be based on? Lemme guess! A level playing field?!?! YOUR ARGUMENT IS NOT CIRCULAR NOOO SIR
There is absolute equal opportunity for the same talent pool. No one is prevented by anyone from signing free agents. What you are bothered by is that not every team has an equal ABILITY. Just go ahead and say it. Your ultimate argument will still be circular, but at least you’ll be internally consistent.
Opportunity is very obviously not the same as ability; this is clear in every other context and you know it sillyface.
caseyB
If anyone is circular it’s you. Or maybe you just like being repetitive. But whatever, you are totally wholly wrong. And playing semantical games is no substitute for your lack of logic and sense.
Sport is supposed to be played on a level playing field. Which is why the NBA and NFL have salary caps and almost every pro sport around the world has PEDs bans. Your inability to grasp this speaks of someone who is either very dense or just too arrogant to admit he has lost an argument.
Finally, “sillyface?” LOL, you need to look in the mirror after such a comical choice of words. You act and sound like a 12-year-old. Too bratty and immature to admit your errors. Weird.
ReverendBlack
Ok then, sillyface, let’s recap! “Sport is SUPPOSED to be played on a level playing field.” Me: Why?”Because some sports like the NFL and NBA try to create a level playing field.”Me: …Well everyone knows that. But why do you they do?”Because sport is supposed to be played on a level playing field!!!!!”Me: …Dude. I heard you. But WHY are they “supposed” to be played that way?”Because some sports like the NFL and NBA try to create a level playing field.”Me: Dude. Got it. But WHY?”Because sport is supposed to be played on a level playing field!!!!!”Me: Am I in the twilight zone. You are just saying the same things over and over. WHY?”Because if sports aren’t played on a level playing field, it is unfair.”Me: Sigh. WHY is it unfair?”BECAUSE SPORT IS SUPPOSED TO BE PLAYED ON A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD YOU DOLT LOL R U 12 UR LOGICZ ARE BAD YOU ARE CIRCULAR AND U LOST THIS ARGUMENT DO YOU EVEN LIKE BASEBALL LOL”Me: ……
caseyB
Sorry, jr. You really do need to brush up on your reading skills. You’ve got my position all wrong. And if you can really read, I guess this is just another tactic of yours — to make up the other person’s line of argument. Either way, it’s quite sad. But try again. I’ll come back later and see if you’ve got it straight. If you do, then we can proceed.
caseyB
Forget it. I shouldn’t have even asked. I think it’s clear you root for a large market team. A very large market team. Probably the Red Sox. No wonder why you want the status quo — and even a more uneven playing field than exists now. That’s sad. It’s a cheap way to win.
ReverendBlack
I grew up around Boston and like them. These days most of my attention — and my money — ends up going to the Rangers, Astros, and Dbacks.
And had you been listening, you’d know that I DON’T want the status quo. I just don’t want your radicalized weirdo version of it either because it would be much worse.
Your “love of the game” is mostly a love of tradition, not baseball itself. Salary caps and all that have nothing to do with baseball; they concern business. If baseball’s tradition were anything better than a history of slowly corrected assbackward mistakes interfering with the game, I’d be with you on that.
Instead, I’ll stick to loving the game of baseball itself, and continue to loathe busybodies like you who think they know how to manage markets better than markets themselves and enforce “fairness” based on some undefined unsupportable presupposition of what fairness even means.
caseyB
If you could read and pay attention for a second, you’d know I didn’t exactly say you wanted the status quo — “a more uneven playing field than exists now” implies change, you dolt. The only bizarro version of sport advocated here is yours. Again you are in a tiny minority with your views. And you don’t get to define why I love baseball. I love it because of the game, the competition on the field. It’s too bad that competition can’t be more perfect with a more level field. A salary cap of some sort could go a long way toward making that field more level, and hence the game more perfect. You don’t love baseball. You love cheating and fraud. That’s an ugly vision of baseball. And I’m glad no one who runs the game agrees with your gross image of the game. I don’t loathe you, I feel sorry for you for being so unenlightened and uninformed.
ReverendBlack
“I love it because of the game, the competition on the field. It’s too bad that competition can’t be more perfect with a more level field.”
If perfect competition is what does it for you, why don’t you just roll dice at home? Do you want someone else to roll dice and let you watch? How about team dice rolling? Perfect competition blows and is boring and you actually do know this, you just don’t know that you know it. You think perfect competition means something else. My advice is to read books.
“You don’t love baseball. You love cheating and fraud.”
lolled
caseyB
You wouldn’t know “perfect” competition if it hit you in the face. That’s so apparent by now. Your vision of baseball is a nightmare.
LMAO