tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11175154.post3979811230098412253..comments2024-03-18T03:54:51.354-05:00Comments on Braves & Birds: Time for Some WhiningMichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365733949431139562noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11175154.post-64419681711479479692008-01-31T08:08:00.000-05:002008-01-31T08:08:00.000-05:00Steve, I read that and it was mildly encouraging, ...Steve, I read that and it was mildly encouraging, although the overall point was that Santana won't get appreciably better at Shea, but if he pitches at the same level he pitched at in Minnesota, the Mets will be happy.<BR/><BR/>NY&G, you make a good point that NY is often difficult on high-priced talent acquisitions. There's no way that Santana can meet expectations, but if he comes close and tunes out criticism when he doesn't throw a no-hitter every game, he'll be fine. As for the SEC coaches ranking, I'll do that this spring or summer when the news is slow.Michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08365733949431139562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11175154.post-69784451101828838312008-01-31T02:52:00.000-05:002008-01-31T02:52:00.000-05:00Hey, I'm still optimistic about the Braves chances...Hey, I'm still optimistic about the Braves chances. In fact, I like the Braves' moves this winter ALMOST as much as the Mets'.<BR/><BR/>Just think how rare it is to see a high-priced free-agent actually live up to expectations in NYC. Especially in the drug-testing era. NYC might be a sanctuary city for illegal immigrants, but it certainly ain't a sanctuary city for free-agents who barge onto the scene and into the clubhouse waiving fists full-o-dollars. <BR/><BR/>JoSa has a moderate chance of being an All-Star, a much smaller chance at being a Cy Young winner, a large chance at not being their ace come post-season (and with those prices!?), a marginal chance of being a clubhouse cancer, and an intermediate chance of being a Britney. He could also get injured right after he signs the contract.<BR/><BR/>But what the hell do I know? I'm the guy who thinks Joe Johnson (aka, the poor man's John Stark) was not worth a #1 pick, that max contract of his, and free run of the team when its on the court.<BR/><BR/>btw, Michael, when are you going to play "rate the coaches" in the SEC? We are all dying to read your analyses in a longer-than-average post in which you use multiple criteria to objectively and subjectively appraise their respective job performances. In fact, just thinking about it gets me FIRED UP, READY TO GO!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11175154.post-22545012031905466202008-01-30T10:53:00.000-05:002008-01-30T10:53:00.000-05:00Baseball Prospectus had a quick post with Santana'...Baseball Prospectus had a quick post with Santana's projections for 2008 in Shea... if you're optimistic, it doesn't seem so bad for los Bravos.<BR/><BR/>http://baseballprospectus.com/unfiltered/?p=738<BR/><B><BR/>That would be a very good season — and would probably make Santana the odds-on favorite to win the Cy Young Award. But my sense is that people are looking for Sandy Koufax circa 1965 and that’s not likely to be the case. For one thing, while Shea is an excellent pitchers’ park, the Metrodome had become a pretty good pitchers’ park too, so the marginal gain is less than you’d think. For another, Santana’s talent level appears to have degraded just a tiny little bit from his 2004-2006 peak; he’s always been a flyball pitcher, but now a few more of those flyballs are landing for home runs.<BR/></B>Steve Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03370246866069199463noreply@blogger.com