Buster Olney’s Christmas

Usually I spend my weekend doing nothing of note. This day was different. I awoke with a threatening message on my phone from Jonny Jockstrap. He told me to bring back my classic MLB trade deadline post (as seen in 2007 and 2006), or else he would cause me harm. Now the only thing worse then the idea of Jonny Jockstrap himself is being injured by him. I like to think of myself as the Buster Olney that time and MLB GMs forgot about. Here are my thoughts on what has taken place. It might be long, so put the coffee on. Here are all the deals made the week before the deadline.

July 25 – Nothing

July 26 – Nothing…come on GMs!

July 27

Cleveland Indians trade Ryan Garko to the San Francisco Giants for Scott Barnes

I have always felt that Garko is a good player to have on your team. He bats around .280 every year. He does not have a ton of home runs or RBI, but he is a good player to have come off the bench. His production might dip a little due to the lack of a DH in the NL. Just something to watch. Barnes is a 21 year old pitcher who has not cracked A-advanced. He is 15-6 with a 2.70 ERA in his career though. Not much of a trade in general, but the Giants need help to remain in the race and this does not hurt.

July 28

Chicago White Sox trade Brian Anderson to the Boston Red Sox for Mark Kotsay and cash

A few years ago on a Tecmo Blog podcast I proclaimed that the Braves did a good thing by ditching Andruw Jones and signing Kotsay instead. I did not feel like the production would be a huge difference, given the huge difference in money. Well, I was right…that is enough self-congrats. Anderson used to be a big time prospect for the White Sox. Since he was called up 5 years ago he has done nothing. Kotsay has not been good recently and the Red Sox designated him for assignment. Maybe a change for both these guys will do them well. If the White Sox end up in the playoffs I wouldn’t put it past Kotsay to come up big in some capacity. Anderson would not have.

July 29

Cleveland Indians trade Cliff Lee and Ben Francisco to the Philadelphia Phillies for Carlos Carrasco, Jason Knapp, Jason Donald, and Lou Marson

What happens when the Blue Jays want your three best prospects for Roy Halladay and you do not want to agree to that deal? The answer is you go out and get another Cy Young pitcher instead. The Phillies gave up good prospects, but they did not give up their cream of the crop. Cliff Lee has already thrown a great complete game for the Phillies. As far as Francisco goes, just go re-read what I wrote about Ryan Garko. Great trade for the Phillies. They get a lefty who might not be Halladay, but he knows how to win, didn’t cost the farm system, and has a cheaper salary. The Indians did not do bad, but they probably could have gotten a bit more. By the way, do the Phillies want to have a rotation full of lefties? They are close, and I would love to see it.

Pittsburgh Pirates trade Jack Wilson and Ian Snell to the Seattle Mariners for Jeff Clement, Ronny Cedeno, Aaron Pribanic, Brett Lorin, and Nathan Adcock

The past few years a lot of teams have really liked All-Star Jack Wilson. I am not sure why. He makes about $6mil a year, does not hit that well, but is a good fielder. Ian Snell got re-signed to a good deal this past offseason but struggled this year. Getting out of Pittsburgh and going to a Mariners team that is surprisingly still in the mix, might just be the cure. But if could also just be a bad decision by a Mariners organization that has made their share. Giving up 5 players, including 2005 #3 overall pick Clement could be a high price, but Clement has shown he could be a bust. I like this trade for both sides, though. The Mariners have to roll the dice and try to compete, because they have not been doing that lately. The Pirates realized they aren’t going anywhere for a very long time so you might as well restock. No use sticking with what is not working. Restocking helps when you…

Pittsburgh Pirates trade Freddy Sanchez to the San Francisco Giants for Tim Alderson

Sanchez won a batting title a few years ago, and that shot him to national headlines. Obviously he can hit, but he can also field. He will bring some more veteran presence to the Giants, and his play in the field will really help. The Pirates get back one of the top prospects in the Giants organization, Alderson. Getting a top pitching prospect in return in any trade is always good. I give the Pirates a lot of credit for only taking one great prospect, instead of wanting 3 average prospects. The Giants are pretty set on pitching for a while (thank you Zito), so this move is a good one. If the Giants want to take the wild card, then this a big step towards that.

July 30

Pittsburgh Pirates trade John Grabow and Tom Gorzelanny to the Chicago Cubs for Kevin Hart, Jose Ascanio, and John Harrison

The Cubs needed left handed bullpen help. The Pirates needed to trade everyone. Sounds like a match made in heaven. The Cubs get 2 lefties, and the Pirates get more new players. Gorzelanny has had some success in the MLB, although his recent numbers do not agree. Like I have said before, maybe some success will turn these former Pirates into productive professional players. That’s enough Pirate talk for a bit though.

Detroit Tigers trade Josh Anderson to the Kansas City Royals for cash

Sure, why not.

Baltimore Orioles trade George Sherrill to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Josh Bell and Steve Johnson

The Orioles go through closers quite frequently. Sherrill was an All-Star last year and has a very good career in Baltimore. You can never have too much relief pitching, and the Dodgers needed more. Bell was rated as the 6th best prospect in the Dodgers organization by some scouts. Would you trade the 6th best prospect in your organization if it meant you could win a World Series? I would do that every year. The Dodgers are very close, and Sherrill could really help. Yes, the Phillies got Cliff Lee, but the Dodgers are still going to be a National League threat. The Orioles have seen the return of Chris Ray to their bullpen. He can close, so you might as well try and spin the other closer for some talent.

July 31

Cincinnati Reds trade Jerry Hairston Jr. to the New York Yankees for Chase Weems

The Yankees do it again. Another huge trade at the deadline. Move over A-Rod. Ok, I’m joking. The Yankees needed another outfielder while Brett Gardner is on the DL, and Weems is a low level catching prospect. Nothing too great. (Yes, that is Don Mattingly, not Hairston.)

Oakland Athletics trade Orlando Cabrera to the Minnesota Twins for Tyler Ladendorf

I asked this question to my brother the other day. If you come up through the Oakland system, make the big league club, and are not traded at some point (or sign an Eric Chavez like deal), do you consider your career a failure? I say that because Oakland trades their talent, and I wonder where Tyler Ladendorf will be playing in 5 years. He was a 2nd round draft pick in 2008, so you have to think the kid has some big time talent. Trading for Orlando Cabrera will never hurt your team, although he is definitely on the back end of his career. Oakland didn’t need him, and the Twins wanted him. Getting a 2008 2nd rounder in return at this point in Orlando’s career is a victory.

Los Angeles Dodgers trade Claudio Vargas to the Milwaukee Brewers for Vinny Rottino

I did not even know former Arizona Diamondback Claudio Vargas was still around. Vargas has been good through only 11 inning of work this year for LA. He was serviceable for Milwaukee his first stint there, so they are probably hoping to catch lighting in a bottle. Rottino is a minor league lifer, who is 29 and just got dropped from AAA to AA. In 2004, Rottino had 17 homeruns, 124 RBI, and batted .304! He then forgot to refill some prescriptions apparently and hit 7 homeruns the next year with 54 RBIs. The End.

Seattle Mariners trade Jarrod Washburn to the Detroit Tigers for Luke French and Mauricio Robles

Washburn will always be known for helping lead the Angels to the 2002 World Series Title. Since that time he has had 6 ½ fine years. His winning percentage in Seattle is not bad, but his ERA is alright. He is having a solid 2009 and the Tigers could really use him in the race for the division. I like this trade. In return the Mariners get French, who is a top prospect, and Robles who is a young A-ball pitcher. French is a good grab for Seattle. They should get some good years out of him, and they have to hope he will anchor down that rotation with Felix Hernandez. The Tigers had to give him up in hopes of doing something in the playoffs.

Washington Nationals trade Joe Biemel to the Colorado Rockies for Ryan Mattheus and Robinson Fabian

I do not want to sound repetitive, but it is hard for me not to like a trade where a team gets relief help. The Rockies could not stay idle during this period while the Giants and Dodgers made moves. They get former Dodger Biemel who has been very good for the past 4 years. He is a lefty, which is an added bonus. Mattheus is a 25 year old pitcher who has been all over the minor league map. Time will tell if he is promoted to AAAA in Washington. According to baseball-reference.com, Robinson Fabian was born in 1929, and was in the minors from 1952-1954. I think they got it wrong. Either that or the Nationals scouting department just does not care anymore, to the point where they are trading for 80 year olds. (Editor’s Note: BR.com mixed up Robinson Fabian with Roberto Fabian on their trade recap. Robinson Fabian is a single A pitcher.)

Toronto Blue Jays trade Scott Rolen to the Cincinnati Reds for Josh Roenicke, Zachary Stewart, and Edwin Encarnacion

Scott Rolen is supposed to be a bad clubhouse guy. At least in losing situations. Well, he is going from one to another. Rolen is on the decline, but hitting well for average this year. Edwin Encarnacion is also kind of a knuckle head. I was at a Diamondbacks/Reds game a few years ago and Encarnacion did not run out a fly ball and got benched. He is a talented player who hit 26 homeruns last year, but I think the Reds just were tired of him. Out of the other two players, Zachary Stewart actually appears to have some solid potential. He has a 0.73 ERA in AAA this year. Toronto might have gotten themselves a future player.

Boston Red Sox trade Adam LaRoche to the Atlanta Braves for Casey Kotchman

The Red Sox just got LaRoche a few days ago. They traded him because they made another, better trade that we will discuss in a bit. This is LaRoche’s second stint in the ATL. He had some good years in Atlanta, including 32HR in 2006. LaRoche was stuck in Pittsburgh for most of this year, so going anywhere else is a positive for him. Kotchman is another one of those players that was untradeable for his original team (Angels), but then once traded the first time is found to be pretty average. It is a good move for the Red Sox because they can take a chance on Kotchman (who could benefit from the Green Monster and short right field wall), while leaving him in the minor initially. The Braves will get solid production from LaRoche. Nice deal for both squads.

Washington Nationals trade Nick Johnson to the Florida Marlins for Aaron Thompson

Maybe it is my loyalty to former New York Yankee farmhands, but I have always liked Nick Johnson. The Marlins needed some help from the left side of the plate if they are going to continue their trend of winning the World Series every 6 years. Well, Johnson is a lefty. Unfortunately he is also a lefty that has played 136 games in the past three years, 98 of which have come this year. If Johnson stays healthy then he will be fine for Florida, he just won’t have major power. Thompson appears to be an average AA pitcher at the moment. He has over a 2:1 K:BB ratio though. Not much to give up for Florida, but it is hard to tell what they will receive in return.

Cleveland Indians trade Victor Martinez to the Boston Red Sox for Justin Masterson, Nick Hagadone, and Bryan Price

This is the reason the Red Sox could trade Adam LaRoche. This is a big time acquisition. Martinez will allow them to give Jason Varitek some time off at catcher. Plus, when he is not playing catcher, Martinez can play first. This allows them to move Kevin Youkilis to third base, and so on. This guarantees David Ortiz never has to play first base again, which is a plus as well. Sure, they have pitching struggles right now, but offense is always good. Martinez can hit .300, hit mid to high 20s in home runs, and drive in more than 100. A lot of people would love to add that to their lineup. Earlier in the week it looked like Clay Buchholtz could go back to Cleveland, but instead Cleveland gets Justin Masterson. I have always thought Masterson is a good young pitcher. He did really well in the middle of the bullpen in Boston, and will now have a chance to showcase his skills in a bigger capacity. Hagadone was a 1st round pick in 2007, and his minor league numbers have been great. He is currently in A ball. Bryan Price was a 1st round pick in 2008, and highly valued as well. It looks like the Indians got some very solid pitching pieces in return. It would be hard to give up Martinez though. In Boston though he is going to be great.

San Diego Padres trade Jake Peavy to the Chicago White Sox for Aaron Poreda, Clayton Richard, Dexter Carter, and Adam Russell

Well, this was looked at as the trade of the day, mainly because people were shocked it happened at all. Peavy declined a trade earlier in the year to Chicago, but GM Ken Williams was bound to get his man. At the last second Peavy agreed to the trade. Peavy is currently on the DL and it appears at the most he will only get in one month of regular season action. This move was made for the postseason though, if the Sox make the playoffs at all. If Peavy can get healthy and work well in September, then who knows how far the White Sox could go. If they cannot get him back into form this year, then they will have him Opening Day 2010. In order to get talent you have to pay for it. The White Sox sent 4 pitchers back to San Diego. Clayton Richard is the piece of this puzzle that can come right in and help. He started 14 games this year for Chicago and was thought of highly within the organization. San Diego could use him immediately. Poreda has pitched very well in 10 games this season. If you are going to be a bad, young team, Poreda will be very welcomed. Carter and Russell are minor leaguers, Carter has the better numbers. The Padres were going to trade Peavy at some point, but many were shocked it was now. Let’s hope, for their sake, that what they got back can help them. They are going to need it.

In closing: I liked the moves that the Red Sox made. If you can’t get pitching then just add more run support. Obviously, the Phillies and White Sox did well by adding former Cy Young award winners, however, I want to give this deadline to the Pirates. Sure they made the most moves, which is always a way to win me over, but it is more than that. The Pirates have been terrible recently, as we all know. The first step towards getting better is by developing a new philosophy. These young kids they received in trades are not only full of potential, but could bring new hope. No use keeping those old players around, because they have probably grown too frustrated. Yes, it is going to be a while before the Pirates are able to do anything positive, but at least for today, they can look to the future with a positive outlook.

Only 364 more days until trade deadline 2010!

I Eat Pieces of Shit Like Tommy Football for Breakfast!

I hate Tommie Football like PETA hates Mike Vick, like Autobots hate Decepticons, like Cubs fans hate Steve Bartman, like E hates Seth Green, like Shooter McGavin hates Happy Gilmore, like Teddy KGB hates Mike McDermott right after he turns over the nut straight, like Master Chief hates the Covenant, like Leonardo, Michaelangelo, Donatello and Rafael hate Shredder, like Sideshow Bob hates Bart Simpson, like Raja Bell hates Kobe and like Cartmen hates Kyle and gingers. Tommy Football is a pretty boy cake eater who doesn’t know shit about sports. I will provide all you readers with an insight to the sports world much better than that sissy football. Hey Tommy…tell me how my ass tastes!!!

-Jonny Jockstrap

A Dark Day in Sports

It is never good when anybody loses somebody close to them. Today the sports community lost dearly beloved members on a national level, as well as a local Phoenix level.

Harry Kalas was known throughout the Nation. Even if you did not know who Kalas was, you knew his voice. He had one of those voices that use to fill up the speakers, one of those voices you do not seem to hear much anymore. Kalas was the voice of the Philadelphia Phillies, NFL Films, Campbell Soup, and the NFL radio broadcasts on Westwood One. He could get people pumped up about games that they really did not care much about to begin with. I used to listen to the Westwood One football broadcasts just hoping he would be call the games. Kalas died after passing out in the broadcast booth right before the start of a Phillies/Nationals game. He will be missed. At least he got to see the Phillies win the World Series last year. Kalas was 73.

Another sad loss was the loss of former Arizona State University football coach Bruce Snyder. Coach Snyder was the coach of ASU from 1992-2000. He oversaw one of the greatest years in ASU football, 1996. That was the year that ASU beat #1 Nebraska 19-0, and lost a Rose Bowl heart breaker to Ohio State. Coach Snyder is remembered fondly by many people in Phoenix. A lot of people felt he was unjustly let go in 2000, and you would be hard pressed to find someone who has a negative thing to say about him. If there was no Bruce Snyder then names like Jake Plummer and Pat Tillman may have never been known. Coach Snyder was inducted into the ASU Hall of Fame last year, an honor very much deserved. He passed away at age 69 of melanoma.

Finally, as I was sitting down to write this, news came across that Mark Fidrych has passed away as well. “The Bird” came into Major League Baseball in 1976 and won the Rookie of the Year thanks to his 19 wins, 24 complete games, and 2.34 ERA. Fidrych became a celebrity not only because of his game, but because of his entertaining personality. Injuries completely derailed his career, to the point where he had to retire in 1980 with only 29 career wins. Fidrych was found dead at his farm, apparently due to a truck accident. He was 54.

Some videos to remember them by:

The Greatness of Friday Night Lights

The Dillon Panther’s motto is “Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can’t Lose”. At the risk of sounding corny I must say, you can’t lose by watching this show.

I’ve written about the TV show Friday Night Lights many times before. My past articles about it were impassioned defenses of a show that was for sure going to be canceled. The theme was “Save Friday Night Lights! It’s the best show you aren’t watching.” The show doesn’t need your help anymore; it has been renewed for two more seasons. Instead of asking you to watch the show to save it, I am telling you to watch the show as a favor to you. It is quite possibly the best thing I have ever seen on the small screen.

Friday Night Lights started as a show about big time Texas high school football, but it has become so much more than that. The show has become about the residents of the football crazed town and somehow football has managed to become a backdrop to the real show. You care about the people more than you do the football team.

• You care about Head Coach Eric Taylor, who seems so realistic if you asked me to name my favorite coach I’d probably say him (with Ken Whisenhunt being a close second). His relationship with his wife Tami and their daughter Julie has received critical praise as being incredibly realistic and authentic.

• You care about Tim Riggins, who plays running back and has never thought for a second about life after high school. At the end of season three he walks into empty Texas Stadium after the state championship game has ended and leaves his shoes on the field as the credits roll. It was his last game and the moment tugs on your heart strings after watching him for three seasons. Taylor Kitsch is going to be a movie star, but I doubt he will ever play a role better than he played Tim Riggins.

• You care about Buddy Garrity, the head of the team’s booster club. He lives and dies Dillion Panther football and his life has so many rough spells throughout the seasons that the football games are his getaway. His daughter, Lyla, is just as important to the show.

• You care about Smash Williams, the loudmouth star running back who has all the skill in the world and loves to let everyone know about it. Watching his interaction with his family and his fight to get into college is just as interesting as watching his football games.

• You care about Tyra Collette, who starts off as a bitch but slowly evolves into a person she can be proud to be. Landry Clark is with her almost every step of the way, always believing in her. Landry evolves from the comedic relief in season one to a core character by season three.

• You will probably care the most about Matt Saracen. He is a little known backup QB who is thrust into a starting roll when star QB Jason Street gets paralyzed in the pilot episode. Saracen spends three seasons trying to lead the Panthers to glory, managing a relationship with the coach’s daughter and dealing with his Grandma’s (and sole guardian) rapidly deteriorating mental health.

One of the best things about this show is that all these kids mature over the years. It really does feel like high school. In the beginning you won’t be rooting for Smash, Tim Riggins or Tyra but by the end of their runs on the show you will laugh and cry with them.

The best word to describe this show is authentic. Outside of some unrealistic football comebacks and a slip up in season two this show is 100% authentic. Season one is fantastic and season three is one of the finest TV seasons I’ll ever see. I’m not telling you to watch this show to help save it, I’m telling you to watch it as a service to you. It’s that good.

The NCAA Gone Mad

The NCAA is officially off its rocker.

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/colleges/articles/2009/04/10/20090410facebookNCAA.html

Top Phoenix Suns Teams #10: 1983-84

While the Suns are battling for their playoff lives I decided it would be fun to do a little research and come up with the ten best Suns teams of all time. This is not an exact science and I tried to include a wide range of teams to give a richer history of the Suns. Enjoy!

High Flyin Larry Nance

If we are going to include Suns teams that had great regular seasons and disappointing playoff performances, we might as well include a Suns team with a disappointing regular season and a great playoff performance. With that I give you the 1983-84 Phoenix Suns, who did everything they could to emulate the 1975-76 Phoenix Suns’ miracle playoff run.

Before the season started the Suns decided to make one of the worst trades in their history, trading future Hall of Famer Dennis Johnson to Boston for Rick Robey. Dennis Johnson went on to win championships for Boston while Robey basically did nothing in Phoenix. The Suns decided to make the trade because they had finished 53-29 last year only to lose in the first round to an inferior opponent again. The Suns struggled through the regular season, finishing 41-41 and the sixth seen in the conference.

This Suns team had fantastic talent on the front line. Larry Nance, Maurice Lucas and James Edwards could all score. Lucas was the tough guy, Nance was the high flyer and Edwards was the consistent performer. The Suns still had Walter Davis in the backcourt and Alvin Adams off the bench. Despite all this talent and no real injuries the Suns were a .500 team but they finally came together in the playoffs.

The Suns topped Portland in the first round 3-2 in a hard fought best of five series. They then played the Midwest Champion Utah Jazz and beat them in six games, including a 20 point home win in the decisive game six. Then came the Los Angeles Lakers, who were in the middle of their Showtime 80s run. The Suns lost the first two games of the series, but managed to extend it to a sixth game in Phoenix. The Suns lost game six by two points, giving the Lakers a lot more than they thought they were going to get from a 41-41 team. It is funny how a month of great play can completely overshadow a mediocre regular season.

Link Me

Let me tell you something you already know, there are a lot more interesting things be written on the Internet than what I am writing. That being said here are some links you should probably be checking out:

• Check out this e-mail exchange between Both Teams Played Hard and Talkhoops.net, some good stuff here from some good bloggers.
• You think it’s hard being Kobe Bryant’s teammate? Try being his maid.
• Speaking of Kobe, he is the only person we should ever be comparing to Michael Jordan.
• Speaking of MJ, LeBron is threatening one of his lesser known records.
• A blind kid playing basketball?
• Poll anyone who has been a baseball fan for longer than a few decades and they will tell you the game just ain’t what it used to be.
• What the shit is Peyton Manning doing?

By the way I love how Mark McLane uses pictures of Link from The Legend of Zelda when he posts his Friday Links column. I want to incorporate this without directly ripping off his idea so I decided on a picture of Link’s nemeses, Gannondorf.

Check Me Out on Fanster

Fanster, one of the biggest Arizona sports blogging communities, has asked me to write for their Diamondbacks section. From here on out I will be sharing all my Diamondbacks thoughts on that site, but I will still be writing for Desert Ball, so don’t worry faithful readers!

Check out my first official post about Brandon Webb’s upcoming season.

St. Mary’s Wins State Championship

St Marys 5A-1 Boys Champions

I went to St. Mary’s, so I thought I would show them some love. After losing four of the last five state title games, St. Mary’s finally breaks through thanks to 24 points from future Sun Devil Demetrius Walker. Congrats Knights!

(Photo courtesy of AZ Republic)

Terry Porter is a Goner

Bye Bye Terry

Terry Porter was only able to last half a season in Phoenix, he was put in an impossible situation but he was also the wrong guy for the job. I won’t miss his coaching style though, which was inconsistent and uninspiring. This team could never find itself; part of the reason was that the players didn’t want to play Porter’s system. Porter isn’t totally to blame here, but he needed to be fired. He is replaced by Alvin Gentry, a holdover from the D’Antoni era who has not had much success in his past head coaching gigs. He is laid back, lets the players run the show and likes up tempo basketball . . . he is the black Mike D’Antoni. So much for an emphasis on defense. I feel the Suns best shot is to start running and gunning again, keep their team together and at least try and reclaim some of the old magic. Maybe it won’t be possible, but at least it will be better to watch.