Triangle Table with Dylan Hernandez and Diamond Leung

I know, for today, it should be a heart-shaped table. But those are on backorder.

In any case, before they were completely lost in the grind of covering the 2008 baseball season, Dodger beat writers Dylan Hernandez of the Times and Diamond Leung of the Press-Enterprise agreed to share some thoughts about the upcoming season. Really appreciate both of them participating.

And away we go ...

Jon: Just to get this out of the way, what are your thoughts on the clubhouse rift from last season, now that months have passed? Do you think the players will be on the same page this season? Do they need to be?

Dylan: Jon, as I'm sure you noticed, the tensions started to surface when the team started tumbling down the standings. Losing is what led to the changing of players' roles and the complaining by at least one player of how the club refused to part with its prospects to acquire an impact-type veteran. Whether the players are on the same page this season, or at least appear to be that way to the public, will depend largely on the results.

Diamond: Dodger players have said this offseason that whatever clubhouse problems they had were overblown by the media. Among casual observers, there seems to be the perception that a battle line was drawn between young and old across the room. It all probably falls somewhere in the middle. Russell Martin seemed to understand this in September. When Rafael Furcal initiated a conversation with him, Martin noticed writers were within earshot and deadpanned, "I don't know if I'm supposed to be talking to you (Furcal)." I suspect Joe Torre will come in with enough credibility to put an end to any nonsense, but we'll see.

Jon: I agree that the losing seemed to produce the grief. But before I move on, let me just ask if you think Martin is ready to emerge as the leader of this team. He has always seemed mature, and I thought his silence to the media (at least on the record) when all the stuff was going on spoke volumes. If the team slumps and any uniting needs to be done, can he be the one who does it? Does he have the respect of the veterans, should hard times hit and the rift ever return?

Diamond: It would seem Martin has all the tools necessary to be a capable leader. He comes to play every day, wants to play every day, and plays while hurt. He might not be a rah-rah type guy at this stage of his career, but his passion and production on the field make up for that, and those qualities can be infectious. As for the veterans, I'm sure they'd respond more to Martin putting the team on his back with what he does on the field anyway.

Dylan: Martin's willingness to play every day and, perhaps more importantly, learn, has earned him the respect of the veterans. Whether he'll be a more vocal presence and how he'll transition from being a precocious young player into a bona fide leader is something to keep an eye on over the next couple of seasons.

Management seems to be hoping that Andruw Jones can help unify the clubhouse, as Ned Colletti has mentioned on more than one occasion that Jones worked well with the young players in Atlanta last season.

Jon: Okay, onto the makeup of the roster and the lineup. Obviously, you haven't gotten to spend much time with Joe Torre yet, but we did get some signals last month that Juan Pierre isn't guaranteed 162 games this season. What do you foresee happening with the outfield?

Diamond: Management does indeed appear to be more open-minded about sitting Pierre this season. Last year, it seemed having that him hit lower in the order was as far as Grady Little would go, and if my memory serves me correctly, Pierre was even inserted into the game as a defensive replacement to preserve his streak of consecutive games played. Ned Colletti has called Pierre a complementary player, and my guess is he'll be eased into that role. I can see Pierre as the opening day left fielder and platooning with Andre Ethier. The more productive of the two would then have his playing time increased as the season progressed.

Jon: Let's talk about the infield. Last month, Colletti seemed open to the idea of Andy LaRoche getting the starting spot at third base, but even the most favored rookies during Colletti's tenure have usually needed to wait until at least May to get in the lineup regularly. With most of the lineup locked in, however, could LaRoche truly get the call, allowing Nomar Garciaparra to become a pinch-hitting specialist?

Dylan: I think so, if only because the Dodgers would like the roster flexibility they'd have with LaRoche as the starter. On the bench, Garciaparra could fill multiple roles - backup at first and third, and an experienced bat off the bench, which Torre said was something he wanted - and save the team a roster spot. That's particularly important in a year when Delwyn Young is out of options, as it'll allow Torre to decide whether he wants 11 or 12 pitchers. (Of course, if Garciaparra beats out LaRoche, the Dodgers could always send LaRoche to Las Vegas and have Abreu back up at second and third. But Colletti basically said last month that LaRoche would have play his way off the roster to not make the club.)

Both Garciaparra and LaRoche enter the spring with serious question marks. Can Garciaparra bounce back? Can LaRoche, who looked completely overwhelmed last September, make the necessary adjustments to become an everyday big-leaguer? Neither question can be answered with any certainty right now.

Diamond: Colletti seems very willing to give LaRoche a fair shot at the starting job, and Garciaparra has said all the right things about accepting any role given to him. At the same time, I still think Garciaparra must be considered the incumbent at third base. LaRoche will need to prove his back is healthy so that he can play consistent defense and all the minor league offensive exploits we've heard about start to translate on the major league level. Let's also keep in mind he's only 115 plate appearances into his career.

Jon: Clearly, what happens at third base will directly affect the makeup of the bench. But if you had to pick one dark horse to make the Opening Day roster, who would you pick?

Diamond: It wouldn't surprise me if Ramon Martinez were to somehow make the team. Assuming LaRoche makes it, Martinez would be battling Tony Abreu and Chin-lung Hu for a utility role. Abreu will have to prove first of all that he's healthy, and he'll also need a nice spring to prove that he shouldn't need to "knock the door down" from Las Vegas. Hu will likely be asked to see some more pitching in Triple-A, where he could potentially play some more second base to improve his versatility. Martinez can play second, third and shortstop on the major league team. He wouldn't need to hit a whole lot behind a strong bench consisting of the fourth outfielder, whoever doesn't start at third base that day, and presumably Delwyn Young.

Dylan: If they go with 12 pitchers, they might want to have an extra lefty in the bullpen. Is Eric Stults enough of a dark horse to be called a dark horse? (For that matter, is Martinez?) If Stults doesn't qualify, I'd say one of the two left-handed non-roster invitees they recently signed, Tom Martin or Mike Myers.

Jon: As for the starting rotation, will the Dodgers play conservative with Jason Schmidt? And perhaps more importantly, do you think Jason Schmidt will play conservative with Jason Schmidt? And who else has a realistic chance to be his understudy in April besides Esteban Loaiza?

Dylan: Stan Conte tends to be on the conservative side, so I'm guessing, yes, the team will be conservative with Schmidt. I don't know if Schmidt can be expected to be conservative. What can be expected of Schmidt, however, is for him to be honest. It's up to the trainers to use that information and take what they deem is the best course of action.

Colletti picked up Loaiza and his $6.5 million salary for this season believing he could be in the rotation, so he'll be given every chance to win a spot if Schmidt can't go. If Loaiza, for some reason, isn't an option, next in line would probably be Hong-Chih Kuo, who started his rehab before the end of last season.

The Dodgers have three pitchers who spent significant time on the DL vying for that fifth spot and are basically hoping that at least one of them will be healthy at all times.

Diamond: Management has always been enamored by Kuo's potential, and it's just a matter of staying healthy for him. That he's out of options and has traditionally struggled coming out of the bullpen might once again make him a contender for the rotation. The Dodgers have invested plenty of time and money in him and should give him every opportunity to succeed.

Jon: I'd say we're close to wrapping this up. For a final question on the eve of Spring Training, could you fill in the blank? The Dodgers' fate in 2008 depends mostly on ______________

Diamond: It depends mostly on whether or not the kids fulfill their potential sooner than later. Matt Kemp, James Loney and Chad Billingsley have already shown they can be front-line major league players, so imagine if they kept it up over a full season. Add the All-Star play of Russell Martin, starts from Andy LaRoche and solid contributions from Andre Ethier, and the Dodgers would be in great shape. They made strong free-agent signings and have former All-Stars in their lineup and rotation. The kids playing everyday would also result in a veteran bench. The big question is how much of an opportunity the youth movement will get to thrive at the onset under Joe Torre, who inherits the tough task of easing the transition.

Thanks, Jon, for inviting me to participate. Dodger Thoughts is an everyday must-read for me, and I want to also thank the site's readers for checking out my coverage, especially on the blog. Whoops, sorry for the Rule 9 violations on there.

Dylan: …. the health of the pitching staff. The addition of Jones, coupled with the return to health of Furcal, would seem to indicate that this team will be better offensively than last year's. Pitching, as Torre has said repeatedly, is the key. The start of last season's slide coincided with that period when Randy Wolf, Hong-Chih Kuo and Chin-hui Tsao went down. The freefall started when Brad Penny and Derek Lowe suffered their respective abdominal and hip injuries.

Jon, I'd also like to thank you for the invitation to chat. See you at the park.

* * *

Jason Schmidt agreed that he might be ready to start the season on the active roster, reports Tony Jackson of the Daily News.

"I have no idea," Schmidt said. "It will dictate itself. I would like to say yeah, I'll be ready, but we really don't know what is going to happen down here."

Schmidt's rehabilitation isn't happening in a vacuum. The only other serious contender for the fifth spot is Esteban Loaiza, a 13-year major-league veteran who probably will go to the bullpen if Schmidt is ready.

The most recent of Loaiza's 37 career relief appearances came in 2004, when he was pitching for the New York Yankees and Joe Torre.

Loaiza has never been a reliever for more than a few weeks at a time.

When he was asked if he could make such a transition, he said he didn't know.

"I can't really answer that question right now," he said. "It's not my decision. I just have to perform and do my best and see what happens."

Meanwhile, is there something to be said for giving even your best pitcher's arm a little bit of extra rest during the season? David Pinto of Baseball Musings makes a persuasive case, and then passes along a story about the A's debating whether the opposite happened in the case of Rich Harden.

Comments

[Eric Stephen]

1.  Jon, this is good stuff, thanks.

How sweet is it to be a baseball fan in this day and age? We have this wonderful site, of course, but also dedicated beat writers from three newspapers regularly updating us on their respective sites. Even Ken Gurnick, although he appears to hate the team at times, provides a steady stream of information on Dodgers.com. Throw in a proactive Josh Rawitch from the inside, and we are truly lucky to have such great access.

Hell, I live in San Diego, and I'm still able to watch almost every game thanks to Extra Innings.

What's funny is that, even though all this access would have been unheard of 15 or so years ago, I'm sure we'll look back in 2025 and think, "My God, how did those poor primitive shlocks in 2008 live under such oppressive conditions!" :)

[ToyCannon]

2.  Eric just a quick thanks for the link to the Petty movie. Always been a fan so that will be a must buy for me.

The blogging world must be a godsend to some of these writers who have been limited by what you can do in newsprint. Joe P has gone crazy in a good way. It is obvious that he loves to write and now that he's writing novels everyday, just think how stunted he must have felt before when every column had to fit in a round hole. Now he can write in any size.

[Eric Stephen]

3.  2
Yeah, the Petty movie was on Sundance over the weekend and I recorded it, and watched it when I was home sick on Tuesday. It was awesome, a great out of the blue surprise.

If the internet is Greenwich Village in the 1960s, then Joe Posnanski is Bob Dylan! :)

[kinbote]

4.  Great stuff, Jon. Thank you.

OT: Can you imagine being a Royals fan right now? Tomko is being handed a rotation job and Hoe-shaver is slated to be a long reliever.

[Sushirabbit]

5.  I enjoyed the triangle table, too.

GCRL, if you're still around are you going to join Lumber&Leather this year? Shoot me an email.

[Hythloday]

6.  sushi, i'm in again this year. i'll sign up this weekend

[Bob Timmermann]

7.  I always knew the Trilateral Commission was behind Dodger Thoughts.

[Sushirabbit]

8.  3 Is Joe Morgan Tiny Tim?

[wireroom]

9.  Do any of you guys know of a pitcher who has had similar shoulder surgery as Schmidt and was able to come back at least enough to be decent?

[Xeifrank]

10.  9. I think this was a hot topic of conversation over the fall/winter. Can't remember for sure, but not many have come back but there is a new way of treating it. Others chime in.
vr, Xei

[Terry A]

11.  C'mon, Dylan! Let's hear what you think about Pierre! No ducking the questions!

Seriously: My appreciation to both beat writers and to Jon.

[wireroom]

12.  10 Yeah I knew that it was a highly invasive procedure, but I couldn't think of anyone off the top of my head who has come back from the labrum surgery that he has had.
I guess I am just trying to prepare myself for what the reality of the situation is.

[Jon Weisman]

13.  12 - Just to reiterate 10 ... No starting pitcher to date that I know of has come back effectively, but they claim to have made advances, and the past doesn't necessarily indicate what the future holds for Schmidt.

But sure, don't count on him being what he was, even when he gets healthy.

[wireroom]

14.  13 Oh, I understand that everybody has a different physiology and the procedures do improve.
And I am quite the eternal Dodger optimist, so with that said, I tend to beleive that Schmidt will be the trailblazer with coming back from that injury.
I really hope so. I have always enjoyed watching him pitch.

[Eric Stephen]

15.  Maybe the new procedure can be named after Schmidt, keeping another Dodgers tradition alive.

[wireroom]

16.  I also wonder how you gauge a players own idea of where they are at. Is Schmidt being careful, guarded, or optimistic when he says "I have no idea," or is he being realistic with himself and thinking, "I don't think I can come back." I just remember with Gagne how many times he said he was fine and he wasn't. I would hope that Schmidt is honest with himself and waits it out until july or august. Getting him for a stretch run would be ok then too.

[cargill06]

17.  9 drew brees tore his labrum dec. of '05 and was ready to go in aug. '06. he had the best year of his career in '06 and was quoted saying that it's the best his arm has ever felt. it took him 8 months to rehab, i know it's completely different comparing QB's and pitchers but it is something positive to look at.

[Jon Weisman]

18.  Arizona team health report:

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=7142

[wireroom]

19.  17 It is similar circumstances, a good comparison. I may be wrong, but I think Schmidt had a completely disclocated labrum and not just a tear though.

[MC Safety]

20.  Nice post Jon. I really hope Tony Abreu makes the team.

From the last thread: Did any of you guys go to the Tom Petty/Strokes concert at Hollywood Bowl last year?

[Xeifrank]

21.  Nice article (Part 3 of three part series) on the new GM for the Pirates. He looks like a very statistically inclined GM and one I would love the Dodgers to have, but we've been down the road before, right!?

Worth a read.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08044/856979-63.stm

vr, Xei

[wireroom]

22.  18 I didn't get to read the full article because I am not a member, but the part I read makes sense. Having an understanding of how each players physical makeup works is important. Maybe younger, more recently schooled trainers have a better understanding of what should be done as far as training goes.
My brother is going to school for physiology and is a well fit gymnast. He tells me similar type things with the teams he trains.
I wish I could read the full article. Damn being poor and in school again.

[Jon Weisman]

23.  From Kevin Roderick at L.A. Observed:

"NPR to honor Red Barber: Friday's 'Morning Edition' remembers the former Brooklyn Dodgers announcer who appeared on the show weekly for years. He would have been 100 years old this weekend."

[madmac]

24.  15 Holy Schmidt

[LogikReader]

25.  23

I didn't realize he was on Morning Edition for all those years (1981 to about 1992). That's really cool.

I wonder what Bob Edwards thinks about this.

[regfairfield]

26.  21 I'll be more impressed when he actually makes a good move. So far he's stocked up on AAAA arms (which the Pirates had in spades) and resigned Freddy Sanchez. Not exactly rebuilding there.

I guess Dave Littlefield would have got Odalis and Luis Gonzalez, so that's an improvement.

[regfairfield]

27.  Pujols might need Tommy John surgery, people in keeper leagues on suicide watch.

http://tinyurl.com/ywa466

[Jon Weisman]

28.  25 - There was a book that Edwards wrote, "Mornings with Red," that was pretty good. I guess it's not being published anymore, though - Amazon seems to only have it available as used.

[silverwidow]

29.  I'm pretty sure the Giants are going to lose 100 games. Who else?

[wireroom]

30.  21 Just because a guy is statistically or sabermetrically inclined doesn't make him a good GM. A lot does depend on re organizing like this guy is doing for the Pirates, but people won't want to play or work for him if he isn't good with other skills. I am a firm believer in communication skills. I guess time will tell if he was able to lead them somewhere besides the bottom.

[regfairfield]

31.  The Orioles are really terrible. Their best pitcher missed all of last year, they have no shortstop, first baseman, third baseman, left fielder, centerfielder, DH, or bullpen.

[regfairfield]

32.  Actually, this might be a worse team than the Giants.

C Ramon Hernandez
1B Kevin Millar
2B Brian Roberts
SS Brandon Fahey?
3B Melvin Mora
LF Jay Payton
CF Adam Jones
RF Nick Markakis

SP Jeremy Guthrie
SP Adam Loewen
SP Daniel Cabrera
SP Matt Albers
SP Hayden Penn?

CL George Sherill?

Maybe not Giants bad, but it's close.

[silverwidow]

33.  At least Tampa Bay will finally sport a good team this year.

[Eric Stephen]

34.  31
No centerfielder, you say? We should help them rectify that.

[cargill06]

35.  19 i don't think you can dislocate a labrum since it's a muscle. there was also a torn biceps tendon and scarring of the bursa sac with schmidt also. it wasn't just a torn labrum. brees, however also had a slight rotator cuff tear to go with his torn labrum, their injuries maybe similar in severity.

[Eric Stephen]

36.  The Giants offense looks like it will be historically bad, but their pitching is good enough to keep them under 100 losses.

[regfairfield]

37.  34 I just remembered they got Adam Jones, but I'm thinking he'll struggle this year. Still has issues controlling the strike zone that he probably needs another year to work out.

[Eric Stephen]

38.  32
Also, the Orioles last offseason gave multi-year contracts to the Bradford, Baez, and Walker in their bullpen. But none of them seem like closer material. Sad.

[Jon Weisman]

39.  28 - Sorry, that's called "Fridays with Red"

[ToyCannon]

40.  Adam Jones isn't a CF? They will be terrible but the new GM is doing a bangup job of getting solid stuff while he builds for the future. The return for Tejada was light but when you consider he might not even be allowed a visa it doesn't look so bad.
His return on the Bedard deal was as good as it gets. Can't remember a deal in which one team received so much rebuilding material. All of those guys can be major leaguers and Sherril will probably be their closer this year.

[ToyCannon]

41.  Oops, should have refreshed.

[regfairfield]

42.  38 Baez is out for the year, so is Chris Ray. I think their best plan is go with a Sherill/Bradford duo at closer, but since that would involve the dreaded closer by committee, I doubt they'd do it.

[Bob Timmermann]

43.  labrum - a rim or cup of cartilage that contributes to shoulder stability by deepening and increasing the glenoid surface area, and by providing attachments for the shoulder capsule and various ligaments and tendons.

[bhsportsguy]

44.  40 I'm sorry, all trades will now be based on the Kwame/Jarvis deal for Gasol standard or how many other team execs can you get to complain to the media about how you made that deal.

Even the Santana deal was better than that.

[ToyCannon]

45.  36
They might have the best rotation in the league with Cain, Lincecum, Zito, Lowry, Correia, and Jonathan Sanchez waiting in the wings when they trade Lowry for some hitting.
But that lineup looks like the 68 Dodgers. What was Rowand thinking?

[regfairfield]

46.  45 That he could use another 20 million.

[Eric Stephen]

47.  40
The Bedard return was quite a bounty, but was the Teixeira haul for Texas better?

Texas got Salty, Elvis Andrus (their BA #1 prospect), P Neftali Feliz (BA #5), and P Matt Harrison (Braves #3 in 2007).

[wireroom]

48.  35 I should have said "detached," but I think I have confused the labrum with the rotator cuff. I think it is the rotator cuff that becomes detached. I don't know, I am sure someone here knows.

[Eric Stephen]

49.  44
That's an excellent point. Kupchack has gone from pariah to possible executive of the year in like 5 months.

It's times like these that you weep for the Effigy District.

[wireroom]

50.  48 Bobkipedia already had the answer before I could post my post.

[ToyCannon]

51.  44
We shall see. Marc Gasol was developing quite well in Europe this year and was probably a steal in the draft. If Jarvis ends up starting and Gasol comes over and starts and they use the cap money they save on Kwame's expiring contract and bring in Childress combined with Gay, plus the two supporting players they get with the Laker number one's it won't look so one sided. But it won't matter because if the Lakers needed one guy, it was Gasol. He was made for this team.

[ToyCannon]

52.  47
Depends how Tillman does. A Jones is the best player in either deal. Salty has to remain a catcher to really make that deal look good for Texas and I'm not sure he will.

[regfairfield]

53.  47 I think getting Adam Jones alone makes it a better deal. Picking up two decent pitching prospects helps too.

[underdog]

54.  The Orioles probably will be terrible, but at least they're now on the right path for rebuilding. Seems like Angelos is finally more willing to butt out and let the GM rebuild properly. Jones and Markakis is a pretty darned good young outfield - and Payton's average. The infield is terrible, and that's not even counting if Brian Roberts is actually traded to the Cubs, as is rumored, or someone else. And without Bedard their rotation will certainly be a lot worse than the Giants. But I do think they'll be improved within another year.

[ToyCannon]

55.  46
I bet he's booed by the end of the year when they realize his lack of center fielder skills were hidden by his ballpark and his offense plummets under PacBel and the weight of his contract.

[Bob Timmermann]

56.  IANAD, but the rotator cuff is a collection of muscles and tendons that are found by where your arm connects to the shoulder. As the name implies, they allow your arm to rotate.

The labrum is a different part of your shoulder and is sort of the thing that keeps your arm and shoulder attached. Kind of. In a way. But I oversimplify.

[regfairfield]

57.  54 Payton hit .256/.292/.376 last year without notable defense. I'd argue that if he can hold the job long enough to qualify, Juan Pierre won't be the worst left fielder in baseball.

[ToyCannon]

58.  So yeah, the Orioles might lose 100 games this year but I'd rather have their future then the Giants. At least until the cavalry arrives in 2010 for the Giants. If Angel Villalona is what he's cracked up to be they might have a Miggy on their hands and combined with all the pitching prospects they picked up last year it may only be a few lean years for the Giants. But do you want Sabean making those deals where he's swapping pitching for hitting?

[Xeifrank]

59.  Orioles and Giants will be bad this year, The Marlins and Royals need to be in this conversation too (aren't they always). Atleast some of these teams have excuses, like a small market budget, or atleast we have some good prospects in the pipeline but the Giants have nada besides their good young starting pitchers. Their farm system is Juan Pierre-esq. The Giants need a Mitch Kupchack miracle to contend in the near future, especially with the Rockies, DBacks and Dodgers all being good and young
vr, Xei

[Eric Stephen]

60.  50
I'd like to think the acceptable term is "Griddlepedia".

[bhsportsguy]

61.  Read into this what you will, more speculation in TJ's blog - Also, going to China, Joe Torre, Andruw Jones, and Nomar, not going, any of the main starting pitchers.

Juan Pierre showed up early today, but declined to meet with reporters, promising to do so when he returns on Tuesday. He also hinted that he knows exactly what we want to ask him about, which is the situation in left field.

Torre said hello to Pierre but didn't address the LF matter with him beyond what the two discussed over the telephone this winter. Looking more and more like J.P. will have to actually beat out Andre Ethier for the job, although Torre did admit that his history suggests he likes veteran players.

[regfairfield]

62.  Heck, Payton actually brought the team average for left fielders up. As a whole Oriole left fielders hit .241/.283/.348 thanks to Jay Gibbon's .230/.272/.348. As a comparison, Dodger left fielders in 2005 hit .212/.279/.324.

[Bob Timmermann]

63.  Here's a cool looking diagram of the parts of the shoulder:

http://tinyurl.com/yrobyr

[wireroom]

64.  56 So then the labrum can be detached. That is the correct terminology. Thanks for the info between rotator cuff and labrum.

[ToyCannon]

65.  57
With them going so young I can't imagine Payton getting many at bats before he's relegated to the bench or dealt to a team looking for a PVL.

[ToyCannon]

66.  62
Wow, that is stinky bad. I couldn't even tell you who played LF but Mike Edwards must have grabbed some of those at bats.

[Bob Timmermann]

67.  64
Judging by the diagram, if the labrum becomes detached, it's going to hurt.

[regfairfield]

68.  66 We were lead by Ricky Ledee who hit .263/.299/.404 in 171 at bats. This was followed by Werth, Edwards, Grabowski, and Valentin.

It was a collection of players who had terrible years, who somehow managed to be extra terrible when they played left.

[Eric Stephen]

69.  62
Jose Valentin actually got 70 PA as a LF in 2005. I must have blocked that from my memory.

The PAs were distributed rather evenly to Ledee, Werth, Edwards, Grabowski, Valentin, and Repko. Chin-Feng Chen picked up 4 PA as well.

The best performance of that group was Ledee's .263/.299/.404. Yikes.

[kinbote]

70.  U.S.S. Mariner has a great post up now. I would explain what it's about, but I'm not quite sure what to call it. I have to hand it to Jon and the many posters here who truly understand advanced statististics as they apply to baseball. Weird wild stuff.

[Jon Weisman]

71.  61 - Should we tell Joe that this is Ethier's third season. He's a vet, he's a vet!

[Eric Stephen]

72.  71
Jon, was Tony Jackson invited to the square table?

[wireroom]

73.  63 I wonder why there hasn't been more coraco-acromial ligiment procedures?

[Kevin Lewis]

74.  46

I understand wanting more money, but I mean, he's already making a ton. Wouldn't you want to give your team a discount to stay with a contender and a pretty exciting place to play? Or do these players just not know how to save their money?

[Jon Weisman]

75.  72 - Assuming he got the e-mail, yes.

[Eric Stephen]

76.  74
I find it hard to fathom the massive earning power of MLB players. That said, even I have already made a little more than $10 million in my lifetime -- as Aaron Rowand has -- it would still be hard to turn down an extra $20 million, if that was in fact the difference in offers.

[ToyCannon]

77.  70
That is the kind of stuff that regfairfield used to do regularly. Hungry readers are curious when that might be happening again.

[fanerman]

78.  76 I find it hard to fathom the massive earning power of MLB players.

Seriously. I have a decent-paying job and it's pennies compared to what a pro athlete makes. I try not to think about it too much.

[Xeifrank]

79.  70. Yeah, I love reading that site. I ranked it #7 of my favorite baseball oriented blogs (DT#1). Probably the best team oriented stats site though. The writers can be a little snarky sometimes and it spills over into the comments. Glad people here are more civil.
vr, Xei

[Bob Timmermann]

80.  Where's D4P when you need him? We're having a discussion about overpaid players and he's not here.

[ToyCannon]

81.  74
I need to find the link but I was reading the other day that most basketball players will end up broke by the time they are 40. Baseball players have the incredible pension and they should thank Marvin Miller before they take the field every day. No man did more for the professional baseball player then that man.

[El Lay Dave]

82.  77 Depends on when he can escape the cave-like atmosphere of his work environment long enough, I guess.

[Eric Stephen]

83.  78
I don't even think it's a jealousy issue, it's just that the numbers are so far removed from the E Zone® (as I like to call it), it's like wrapping my mind around the concept of infinity. My brain gets tied up in knots just thinking about it.

[bhsportsguy]

84.  74 Sure, he made about 9 million total in the previous 3 years but this was probably his only shot at a big contract and its not like he got a mega-contract.

I don't begrudge a guy for making the best deal, the money is so big but for these guys, it is a way to set them and their families up (if managed correctly) for their longtime future.

[Marty]

85.  76 You've made $10 million? You should have been buying beers at the DT outing.

[Xeifrank]

86.  81. I wonder what the average difference of SAT score between pro baseball and pro basketball players is (for American born).
vr, Xei

[ToyCannon]

87.  84
But it wasn't like he didn't have other suitors. If the Giants were his only suitor like the Dodgers were the only idiots to offer JP his 5 year deal then sure it is a no-brainer but it was my understanding he had suitors.

[bhsportsguy]

88.  81 http://tinyurl.com/2gyzvn

[silverwidow]

89.  Eric S., I saw your comment on Diamond's blog about Sweeney. I think I know the answer - it was a major league deal to begin with. Sweeney's agent said that was one of the main sticking points for him to sign.

[Eric Stephen]

90.  85
The lack of the word "if" has just cost me dearly!

[fanerman]

91.  85 I think there's supposed to be an "if" in that sentence. But if not, can I have some money? Please?

[Bob Timmermann]

92.  86
I doubt the difference is statistically significant, but also the figures aren't tabulated. They may be for college sports, but in the pros they tend not to ask you about your SATs.

[ToyCannon]

93.  85
That is what I thought when I first read it, and my 1st reaction was that I need to be nicer to Eric and then I reread it and realized he's just a poor pauper like the rest of us so he deserves the treatment he gets.

[Eric Stephen]

94.  89
Thanks. I think that might have been the first comment in the history of Diamond Leung's blog! Seriously, every entry has 0 comments. I feel bad for the guy.

[bhsportsguy]

95.  86 Remember that there are a lot more pro baseball players (counting minors) than NBA players and most basketball players do play in college while the vast majority of baseball players don't.

[Kevin Lewis]

96.  84

So are we saying he could of made about 40mil with the Phillies? I understand wanting 20 more, but wouldn't 40mil be enough to set your family up for life if properly managed? I mean, just throw it in an ING account if you want to be safe

[Jon Weisman]

97.  "Joe Torre told Jason Schmidt he's not planning on him being ready for opening day"

- from Diamond's latest.

[Jon Weisman]

98.  94 - Nah, he gets comments. During the season, anyway.

[ToyCannon]

99.  88
Isn't that amazing?

[Xeifrank]

100.  92. Well my point was just that perhaps education (or lack of) had something to do with the basketball players going broke by 40 more so than the baseball players. Perhaps not the leading factor but a significant one.
vr, Xei