***Home Plate***

[catesta]

What about all of the trades, folks? How did your teams shake out?

Catesta, maybe the change of scenery will bring out a better attitude in Mr. Mondesi. B)

I hope you're right.

The D-Backs went on a rampage with a bunch of rookies before the All-Star break, win the first two after, and then slide into a shit hole.

They went from 4 games back of SF and in the wild card seat, to 12 games out of first, and now 4 1/2 games below Philly for the wild card.

I really liked Delucci, but hopefully Mondesi bad attitude and all will help.

We've got no chance of catching the Giants, but might still sneak into the post season.

[J Larsen]

I really liked Delucci, but hopefully Mondesi bad attitude and all will help.

If you look at the stats, Mondesi is on pace to hit something like six or seven more HR (and throw two more tantrums) than Delluci for the rest of the year. Seems like the DBack's paid a lot for six or seven HR...

Edited to correct factual mistatement...

Edited August 1, 2003 by J Larsen

[catesta]

That's why I struggle with the trade.

Dellucci was not being used everyday and should have been given that opportunity. He normally produces, and does not have all the baggage.

Still, it's done and over, so I have to hope Mondesi works out.

[Guest GregM]

Not only do the Giants have the best team, they have the best stadium. And I ventured out into McCovey cove in my buddy's boat last Sunday to check it out during the Giants-Pads game. Cheers!

[J Larsen]

Not only do the Giants have the best team, they have the best stadium.  And I ventured out into McCovey cove in my buddy's boat last Sunday to check it out during the Giants-Pads game. Cheers!

I'm flying out for the series with the Braves in a few weeks. I'll be around the following weekend for the series against the Marlins. If they throw Wilis at us, I'll check that out too.

I agree that the Giants are tops in the NL, but the BoSox and Yanks worry me if we face them in October. Their starting eights just crush ours, and their rotations match up pretty well, too.

BTW, Greg, you look about half as old as I had imagined.

Edited August 1, 2003 by J Larsen

[Guest GregM]

I'm concerned about October too. Watching the Giants in the postseason guarantees high blood pressure.

Yeah, I look about half as old as I am, and in that picture, twice as drunk as I was.

Gotta love that Gordon Biersch pilsner.

[J Larsen]

Yeah, I look about half as old as I am, and in that picture, twice as drunk as I was.

I hear that. I think I look younger at 28 than I did at 17. In high school I was the one everyone would get to go to the liquor store, because I'd almost never get carded. Last year, some of my college students assumed I was a freshman when I first walked into the room.

[catesta]

Last year, some of my college students assumed I was a freshman when I first walked into the room.

That's always good quality to have for picking up chicks, no?

[J Larsen]

That's always good quality to have for picking up chicks, no?

Well, when I was teaching at the university it was almost a little too effective...

[catesta]

I always knew I picked the wrong career.

[Guest GregM]

Another shot of Pac Bell park from the cove.

Around the 8th inning of the TV broadcast, the camera zoomed in on my buddy and me on the boat. The announcer said something about "July living". The other boats had TVs and started yelling to us. Was anyone watching the game? I hope I didn't have my finger up my nose.

Edited August 2, 2003 by GregM

[Johnny E]

It don't matter who comes out of the National league. The Mariners, Yankees, or Red Sox will beat any team from the senior circuit. It's a weak league. The only thing they got goin' for em is they don't have the DH.

GO M's!!!!!

Greg, Pac Bell Cove sure looks nice. I'm jealous.

[J Larsen]

It don't matter who comes out of the National league. The Mariners, Yankees, or Red Sox will beat any team from the senior circuit. It's a weak league.

NL teams are 136-114 in interleague games, for a winning percentage of .544.

[J Larsen]

Found a cool baseball-related link today. It shows every uniform for every team by year.

http://baseballhalloffame.com/exhibits/onl...se.htm#database

One thing I didn't want to know that I learned on this site was that the 1916 Giants wore plaid. Check it out:

[ghost of miles]

I'd still like to see a NY-San Francisco Series reprise of '62 (I know J Larsen and Greg wish for different results this time around). The Giants have always been my favorite NL team, and I'm hoping to catch a game at Pac Bell someday myself.

How old are you, Greg? I'm 36 and people think I'm 25. It used to annoy me, but now I think I'm getting to be old enough that I don't--gulp--mind being taken to be 10 years younger.

Edited August 3, 2003 by ghost of miles

[ghost of miles]

Well, the Yanks' bullpen blew another one today against the A's. Like I said earlier this year, it's the six-foot-wide portal on the Death Star...

[Johnny E]

First Lou Pinella leaves Seattle because they refuse to make trades and/or add salary to do what it takes to win the World Series. Now, after doing nothing at the trade deadline, Jeff Nelson opens his mouth to gripe and he’s shipped off to the Yankees faster than you can say “The Mariners Management Sucks”.

What, they couldn’t do a trade before the deadline, but once someone speaks up ad calls them on their bullshit, they can pull off a deal where all players have to clear waivers and such. This is some lame shit.

[J Larsen]

Just for the record, almost every MLB player has cleared waivers by this point, so trades will continue to occur until August 31.

[slsmcgrew]

First Lou Pinella leaves Seattle because they refuse to make trades and/or add salary to do what it takes to win the World Series. Now, after doing nothing at the trade deadline, Jeff Nelson opens his mouth to gripe and he’s shipped off to the Yankees faster than you can say “The Mariners Management Sucks”.

What, they couldn’t do a trade before the deadline, but once someone speaks up ad calls them on their bullshit, they can pull off a deal where all players have to clear waivers and such. This is some lame shit.

It is my understanding that the M's needed another closer since our good one is still mending. I do agree that the management for the M's sucks.

[ghost of miles]

Well, the Yanks' bullpen blew another one today against the A's. Like I said earlier this year, it's the six-foot-wide portal on the Death Star...

And again today! I'm tellin' ya, don't bet on the Yanks in the playoffs. This is ridiculous.

[Dan Gould]

Just for the record, almost every MLB player has cleared waivers by this point, so trades will continue to occur until August 31.

Not according to Jason Stark's ESPN.com column of last Thursday or Friday. A number of people have cleared waivers, but to say "almost every" player has is not accurate. Not saying that a whole heckuva lot of players *will* clear waivers before September 1 (the deadline for post-season rosters) but they haven't all cleared waivers. Not even close.

[J Larsen]

Dan, waiver wire info is not made public, Stark only has access to a few names that were leaked to him. My comment is based on what Giants GM Brian Sabean said (perhaps inadvertently) in his radio address last week. In any event, it has always been my understanding that nearly everyone clears waivers on or about August 1. Because of the way the waiver rules work, it really makes no sense to claim players off waivers in early August unless you think a team really wants to dump the player in question (in which case they likely would have put the player through waivers earlier) and you are willing to accept their salary, or if you are trying to block a trade to a rival team. The later is a dangerous strategy, as it is a real bridge-burner with the waiving team.

Edit: there's one other circumstance where it makes sense to claim players off waivers in early August, and that's when you have a pre-arranged trade in place for the player in question. If the trade falls through, the waiving team can still put the player through waivers once more. After that, they lose the ability to pull players back. If you couldn't already tell, I'm a bit of a contracts/transactions/stats junkie. We used to have big office arguments about this kind of thing every day when I was working on Wall Street - those guys are really fanatical about this stuff!

Edited August 11, 2003 by J Larsen

[Dan Gould]

Well, my question then would be, why isn't it public knowledge among "insiders" like Stark? I haven't gone to re-read the article, but he basically says that there are "more to come". If its SOP to put everyone through waivers so soon after the deadline, why doesn't he just say that?

[J Larsen]

Fair question, although I must say that Gammons and Stark are probably the two least reliable of the national baseball commentators. Sometimes I think GMs BS those two all the time just for kicks. Not that that really undermines your point. I've always been told that the teams all put their full rosters through at the same time so that their true intentions are as masked as possible. For instance, if you waited until next week to clear a player, it would be pretty clear that you were trading him, as by the time he made it through there would only be a few days to the deadline.

Actually, there would be another reason that many players have yet to clear that would be consistent with both my story and Starks': it could be that the vast majority have been put on waivers, but only some have made it through *so far*. Teams get something like 12 hours to decide whether or not to put a claim on a player when their turn comes up. There could be a few teams on the chain that are just slow with the clerical work.

[Dan Gould]

OK, so if every team took 12 hours to make a decision, that would be like 13 days from "placed on waivers" to 'cleared waivers'?

I acknowledge your greater apparent knowledge, it just seems odd and I would think that if this were happening it would definitely be common knowledge by now.