I just wanted to take the time to wish everyone a Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all the ZLC! I wonder who will be the first parent to post today (as I hear parents can be busy Christmas morning)?

May be the first parent...Wife getting breakfast, and kids playing with toys...parents know Christmas day starts early.... Merry Christmas.

Oh, and missed the baseball related stuff...wife gave me 3 packs of baseball cards, no blue jays, in fact, probably could field a lineup worse that we have ever had....ah but its the thought that counts.

So far I've been given two baseball-themed presents:

1) a boy named after baseball players ;)

2) a Pinnacle "Puzzle Cube" that's sort of like a Rubik's cube that forms pictures of nine different Baltimore Orioles from 1998. Apparently my dad found it at Party Packagers for a buck and got it for me because there were three ex-Jays on it.

I got one baseball related product: a SABR membership! I'm giddy, especially because the convention is in Toronto this year.

I got a new set of BFGoodrich Traction T/A tires for my car for Christmas. How is this baseball-related you ask? I'm hoping they'll deliver me safely to the SABR convention in Toronto in the coming year.

three ex-Jays on it.

'98 Orioles eh? Hmmmm. Well. I'm pretty sure about Alomar. Perhaps Segui, but that'd depend on the definition of 'ex'.

(looks up team in retrosheet)

Wow. Memory really is the first to go.

Ex-Jays on the '98 Orioles:

* R. Alomar
* J. Carter
* J. Guzman
* J. Key
* Nerio Rodriguez (was traded to the jays that year for Guzman)

I'm guessing it was Alomar, Carter, and Key on the cube :)

-Jays handbag with secret compartments (So i can sneak in my cowbell and fold-up flagpole)
-10 game flex pack (section 140, right behind Vernon)
-2005 Jays calender (delgado on front (i wished they'd thought about it more when making it)).
-finally a picture frame for 1992,1993 world series champs picture.

Also, if anybody's pickin seats for 2005 season, c'mon down to 140 with the hardcore Wells fans.

Anyways, Merry Christmas everyone!

The very best of the Season to all you Boxites!

Amongst my substantial take this year included a renewal to my Baseball America subscription, their Almanac and their Prospects Handbook!

Goody goody gum drops!

Seasons Greetings and a Merry Christmas to all those on the Box!

in fact, probably could field a lineup worse that we have ever had

Wait, there are players worse than Dave Berg, Howie Clark, and Kevin Cash? And they make cards of them?! Woah!

Sorry, couldn't resist :)

Happy Holidays everyone!

Obviously it was sarcasm, didnt think anyone would take it serious, what i meant was, that in cards terms, let's just say I better find another way to send my kids to college.

Jsoh nailed it. Carter, Key, Alomar.

I got the book Faithful which is of course about the 2004 Red Sox.

I'm 25% through the book right now.

Nice little note of the early April matchup between Doc and Pedro only had about 6000 people in their seats and the NESN roving reporter saying there were more people in the concourse watching Game 7 Leafs/Sens then watching the 2 CY Youngs go at it.

I was at that game, it was such a boring game, not really what I expected from a Doc & Pedro match up. There were way more than 6000 people there, they announced 26,000, b/c it was one of those 1 dollar ticket games. It took so long to get out of Toronto too b/c the Leafs game finished at the same time as the Jays/Sox. Pretty cool to see all of Toronto go crazy over one of their teams outside in the streets.

Merry Christmas all. Here is a nice, juicy baseball tidbit for you all to chew on:

Jose Lima will rejoin the Royals on a one-year contract.
We guess no one was willing to give him that three-year deal he wanted. Lima still should have been able to find a one-year contract from a better team if he had waited, but he was comfortable in Kansas City before leaving for Los Angeles. He'll join Zack Greinke and Brian Anderson in the Kansas City rotation, leaving two spots for Runelvys Hernandez, Kevin Appier, Jimmy Gobble, Denny Bautista, Mike Wood, Dennis Tankersley, Kyle Snyder and Chris George. Dec. 25 - 8:52 pm et

And you thought there wouldn't be any news today.

I got Moneyball!

Merry Christmas to everyone!

I got the fully revised Bill James Historical abstract, A Play Station Two which I hope will soon be accompanied by a ESPN baseball game, and an advanced order of BP 2005 (which was a gift from Ryan for Ryan).

Merry Christmas, (though I guess it's actually boxing day right now) and all the best in the New Year. Cheers.

I got the fully revised Bill James Historical abstract

Me too. I also got two 81/162 passes (was really happy about that, I definately wouldn't have put those in the budget after the price doubled).

http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/TorontoSun/Sports/2004/12/26/797239-sun.html
Hate to turn the mood, but RIP to the original Opening Day Blue Jay, Doug Ault... he was 54.

This year just couldn't be any worse for the Blue Jays family. What ashame about Doug Ault. My condolences go out to his children who lost both their parents this year.

http://www.espn.com
Former Green bay packer Reggie White died, of a massive heart attack. I wonder if there is an arugment that playing pro football shortens a players life span. these guys seem to die young.

There may be a connection between football players dying young and their severe body types with maybe steroids playing a role. I hardly think it's a coincidence so many bigger athletes are having severe health problems at a young age. Including multiple basketball players who just happen to experience kidney failure by their early 30's.

I think it's safe to say that the implications of steroid and other supplement abuse (some of which may be perfectly legal) is not limited to taking a few years of the senior years of an athlete's life.

Of course I don't know what kind of condition White was in when he died. But I don't think this push for players to be bigger and bigger particularly in football and basketball is altogether good for long term well being.

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1104101412997&call_pageid=969907739730&col=970081600908
A good informative article by Geoff Baker on the new turf going in the Skydome for 05. COMN

http://www.thestlcardinals.com/INVLuhnowY2P2.html
COMN for a Birdhouse Interview with Jeff Luhnow, Cardinals Vice President of Baseball Development.

The Cardinals are a team that's has recently started using more statistical analysis in their evaluations, including putting a price tag on their future player projections.

He says in the interview that the Cards also translate minor league, and Division I college stats, and they're working on Division II stats.

Also, there was an interesting part describing how they studied all of the teams spending internationally.

It's worth a read, especially with nothing else going on.

Aren't the Cards the team MGL from Primer is rumoured to work for?

I wonder if there is an arugment that playing pro football shortens a players life span. these guys seem to die young.

I always thought the same thing, but now that I'm more stats aware, it seems to me this may be selection bias because:

1) There are more NFL teams than any other pro league,
2) The NFL roster is FAR bigger than any other pro roster,
3) Football players have by far the shortest careers.

This would mean at any one time there are far more former NFL players than NHL, NBA or MLB. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if there were more former NFL'ers than the other three combined.

However, despite this knowledge, I'm still not sure. Ever see a 40'ish former running back on TV? They all (except OJ) look like they are 60 years old.

Aren't the Cards the team MGL from Primer is rumoured to work for?

I don't know, but it wouldn't surprise me if he does. If I recall correctly the Cards have a committee of statistical analysts that they consult with.

Aren't the Cards the team MGL from Primer is rumoured to work for?

Reading the Primer thread on this article it makes it seem like he certainly does.

The are probably about 20 guys on every NFL team who weighs in excess of 250lbs and some of those in excess of 300lbs. These guys are packing on serious extra weight which takes a heavy toll on the heart as they age.

Looking at the Free Agents...

Antonio Osuna, 31 Yrs Old, last year 2.45 ERA over 36 IP. 11-BB, 36 SO.
made $750,000

I wouldn't mind him for a couple years, say 3/3.6 ....

Pistol's link is interesting. To be honest, it worries me. Are the Jays anywhere near this level of commitment, to their scouting, recruitment, and training? They will live or die by their drafting and player development, and it pains me to see another team apparently doing it apparently more seriously...

I think Osuna is a good call, but that contract would be too generous (even if a Canadian premium is required). Osuna missed over half of last year with a strained right elbow. He pitched well in September, but I'd still be cautious about that, and I'd want to do a little research into why it is that he's looking for his 4th new employer in the last 4 years.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?id=1952374
No doubt you've already read this mostly content-free article at ESPN (COMN). Bland, but I really liked this quote:

"(The Benson deal) didn't help," agreed one general manager. "The Mets didn't do anyone any favors with that one. But, on the other hand, if everyone is doing crack at a party, it doesn't make it right."

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/baseball/mlb/12/27/bc.bbn.reds.milton.ap/index.html
Eric Milton signs with Cincy for Matt Clement money. Yeesh.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=1953888
Are the Jays anywhere near this level of commitment, to their scouting, recruitment, and training? They will live or die by their drafting and player development, and it pains me to see another team apparently doing it apparently more seriously...

You should really know before you become pained. It's not good for your health.

It'd surprise me if the Jays weren't doing all the same things that were brought up in the interview.

---

COMN - the apparent cost to get average to bad pitching for lower level teams is 3 for $25.

Makes you wonder what Ted Lilly is worth. Probably more than Bobby Kielty.

Lilly's trade value is still low, I would think, because, until last year, his numbers were really not that sexy, and, unlike Milton and Clement, Ted has never really had a reputation. Whether Milton and Clement deserve their reputations is another matter, but the reality is that both of them, Milton epsecially, are known for being better than they actually are. In some ways, Lilly is the opposite: he's perceived as being worse than he actually is. Of course, some cynics who will not be named don't like Lilly much, his last season notwithstanding.

On an unrelated note, I find the JD Drew deal amusing -- not for its baseball merits (or lack thereof) but for its amount. The Dodgers, apparently, are not superstitious, or else they would NEVER sign anyone to a 5-year/$55 million contract, which, if memory serves, is the same amount Darren Dreifort received from the Dodgers. It's all well and good to ride the 'ol bike again, and superstition is probably a bad thing, but in this case perhaps DePodesta would have been wise to add a dollar to the contract. (With Scott Boras as Drew's agent, heaven forbid a dollar be removed!)

Eric Milton signs with Cincy for Matt Clement money. Yeesh.

Terrible (and quite shocking) news for the Yankees.

Terrible (and quite shocking) news for the Yankees.

Why is that Mick? I figured the Yankees should be happy in this case to get out of sinking a bunch of money into a below average pitcher like Milton. The Yanks still have Pavano, Wright, Brown, Mussina and Vazquez for the time being, and RJ seems likely to be coming at some point.

Another terrible contract.

You should really know before you become pained. It's not good for your health.

It'd surprise me if the Jays weren't doing all the same things that were brought up in the interview.


Getting pained in advance of information is how I've always run my life... I don't see myself changing now. My motto is: worry prematurely.

I really do hope the Jays are up there doing everything that the other teams do, and more, on training and development. I'm surprised I hadn't read any similar stories about it, although perhaps the way our minor league players seem to love our system (and perhaps miss it when they leave) bodes well.

ITALICS BEGONE!

There IS Odalis Perez, although he's not that great at neutralizing lefties (which really should be the only reason the Yankees really want a lefty)

If that's true, Paul S, then it makes NO sense for the Yankees to have wanted Milton -- Lefties pound the living crap out of him.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=1953986
COMN

acc ESPN, the Yankees, BoSox and Angel, have to pay the luxury tax this year... the level is set at 120Mil... Boston Pays 3Mil, Anaheim <1 and the Yankess 25 Mil..

Explain how this ensures parity again? parody maybe....

Chris Woodward signs a minor league deal (with invite to ST) with the New York Mets, according to Rotoworld. Best of luck to him there.

The luxury tax is probably going to be stronger for the next agreement. I suspect we'll see a start point of $100 million if the owners win, $125 if the players do. Then a tax of 10-100% depending on number of times over the limit. Thus the Yankees keep getting hit hard (and maybe the Red Sox if they keep it up) while others who bump into it (such as Anaheim last year) don't get punished much at all.

Me, I'd like a tax on market size ala something at Baseball Prospectus a few years ago. Basically, if you are Milwaukee (about as small as it gets) you never get taxed. If you are NY you get hit hard. Baltimore wants to say Washington is part of its market? Fine, they get taxed for having it. That way markets 'even out' better and force teams to succeed or fail based on how well they use their market. ie: if you have 4 million fans while another team has 2 million you pay tax to the 2 million team so both cities have the same base to start from. If you don't want to pay tax then allow other teams into your market, thus reducing the size of that market (ie: NY is split in 2 right now, divide into 4 if 2 more teams come in). Not perfect, but at least you only pay based on your potential income.

So the Blue Jays pay a tax based on the entire population of Canada, right?

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20041229.wrogers1229/BNStory/Business/
FWIW, Rogers bought the remaining 20% of Sportsnet for $45M. COMN

Hopefully, with all of this investment (Skydome and Sportsnet), upper management will also be looking to put a more competitive product on the field going forward to realize their full potential.

I agree. Rogers seems to be re-inforcing its groundwork with the Toronto Blue Jays. When this team starts really winning, the Rogers enterprise and the Jays could become a very successful organization in all aspects.

Rogers has certainly leveraged their business more on the success of the team. It seems to me that with these moves that they are betting on themselves, which is encouraging (because if management doesn't believe in themselves why should anyone else?).

It does makes the skeptic in me wonder if they've intentionally driven down the value of businesses related to the team so they could scoop it up at deflated prices, or if that's just a coincidence.