Every Swingin’ Dick

White Sox GM Kenny Williams absolutely blasted Frank Thomas over the weekend:

- Believe me, it’s not easy to deal with an idiot, and this man over the course of the years has tried my patience and tried and tried it.
- And we don’t miss him, by the way. If you go out there and ask any one of my players or staff members, we don’t miss him. We don’t miss the attitude. We don’t miss the bitching and the whining. We don’t miss it. Good riddance. See you later.
- He’s an idiot, he’s selfish, that’s why we don’t miss him.

OOOoooOOOOoooEEE. Williams flat out killed Thomas. And this is just a few excerpts from what is purported to be a profanity laced 6 1/2 minute tirade. The Big Hurt pretty much just had to shut up and take it too, probably because he knows that it is at least partially true. I’m sure that he will whine about it at some point in the future, but right now he has got to be stunned like he took a punch straight to the nose.

In other Spring Training news, Roger Clemens showed up at Astros camp to throw some BP to his kid and the rest of the team. Koby took him deep, cracking a homer off of old Pops. Most parents would be beaming with pride. Roger? Buzzed him high and tight the next time up. Koby’s take?

He was like, ‘Sorry about that pitch inside. I was trying to change the view of the ball for you a little bit.’ I said, I knew what you were doing.

Awesome.

This kind of goes back to my point about people pulling stuff out of their ass and throwing it on the web as “news”. CBS Sportsline has put up the top-10 QB list for the upcoming draft.

1. Matt Leinart USC
2. Jay Cutler Vanderbilt
3. D.J. Shockley Georgia
4. Brodie Croyle Alabama
5. Brett Basanez Northwestern
6. Vince Young Texas
7. Charlie Whitehurst Clemson
8. Omar Jacobs Bowling Green
9. Kellen Clemons Oregon
10. Paul Pinegar Fresno State

Yup, Vince Young is sixth. You know, it is completely possible that he ends up being the sixth best (or worse) QB in this draft. But this is supposed to be a list based on “industry knowledge” and film study. And I don’t believe there is any possible way to have watched these guys and come to the conclusion that Young is not a more talented QB than Croyle, Cutler, Basanez (who incidentally, I like a lot) and D.J. Shockley. Hell, why not drop him behind Whitehurst while you are at it? Mind you, this list is based on the opinions of GM Jr. Scouting LLC. Here is one of their endorsements:

“GM Jr has produced a very comprehensive and thorough draft publication.”
— Mr. Ernie Accorsi, General Manager of New York Giants

Note Ernie doesn’t say it is any good, just thorough. I agree. It is thoroughly ridiculous.

*update*
After a weekend of speculation that Vince scored a SIX on the Wonderlic test, it now looks like he ended up with a 16. If he had truly scored a six, I would have wondered how he could walk upright and breathe, let alone play football.

The Dodgers were yesterday, today I turn my attention to my beloved Oakland A’s.

I am more hopeful about the A’s than I have been for some time. They have been a great success under the watchful eye of Billy Beane, but have been in near constant flux because of budgetary concerns. Thankfully under the new ownership, the budget is getting a small boost. And Beane has worked his magic once again. Lets take a look at the makeup of the team.

Lineup:
1B: Dan Johnson / Nick Swisher
2B: Mark Ellis
SS: Bobby Crosby
3B: Eric Chavez
LF: Milton Bradley
CF: Mark Kotsay
RF: Nick Swisher / Jay Payton
C: Jason Kendall
DH: Frank Thomas

This is a great lineup. Period. Johnson looks to be an on-base machine. Ellis had a strong rebound from injury last season. Crosby concerns me, as he is allegedly complaining about his shoulder already. More on the ramifications of that later. Chavez is an All-Star. Bradley is a super talented ballplayer, though he has had some injury problems. And he is completely and utterly insane. The guy makes Carl Everett look like Miss Manners. This worries me a bit, but hopefully the loosey goosey locker room will keep him mostly sane. Kotsay is a good player, especially in CF which is a thin position throughout the league. Swisher had a nice little rookie campaign, and hopefully he will improve and not slump through his sophomore campaign. Kendall has some warts in that he doesn’t hit for any power, and can’t throw out any base runners. But the pitchers love to throw to him, and his all-out style seems to really fire up his teammates. Frank Thomas is the coup de gras. Sure, he may only play 10 games. But he also might play 140 at DH, and give the A’s the first legit RH lineup threat since who, Mark McGwire maybe? And he signed for a $500,000 base salary. That is just a steal.

I’m also thrilled with the depth on the bench. This is a deep team. Jay Payton is a really good 4th OF who can play all three spots. Bobby Kielty is a pretty darn good 4th OF who is the 5th OF on this team. Antonio Perez came over in the Bradley deal, and can pitch in as a utility guy and also at 3B from time to time against a tough lefty. Marco Scutaro and Keith Ginter add IF depth. And Adam Melhuse is a good backup C who can hit a little.

Rotation:
Barry Zito
Rich Harden
Esteban Loaiza
Dan Haren
Joe Blanton

Zito started pitching like an ace again last year, and hopefully he will continue and lead the rotation. Harden is as good a pitcher in the league, assuming he stays healthy. Just an amazing talent. I’m not a big fan of the Loaiza deal, $7M per year is a bit steep, but he will eat innings and the big ballpark should help him keep his ERA somewhere under 5. Hopefully. Haren pitched well last year, and is a guy I like a lot. Not a world-beater, but a solid mid-rotation guy. As a 4th starter, he is unbelievable. Blanton had some struggles early last year, but fought through them to end up with solid numbers. His K’s are way down from his minor league numbers, but he adjusted still found ways to get guys out. Running Blanton out there every 5th day has got to make half of the league sick with jealousy. If injuries strike, there is lots of depth here as well. Kennedy and Saarloos have started in the past, and have had some modicum of success.

Bullpen:
CL: Huston Street
Kiko Calero
Justin Duchscherer
Jay Witasick
Ron Flores
Kirk Saarloos
Joe Kennedy

Street was great last year, even winning the ROY award. Hopefully he does not regress. Duchscherer was an All-Star last year, and Calero was solid when healthy. The aforementioned Kennedy and Saarloos add innings and depth, as does Witasick.

As an A’s fan, I’m as excited about this upcoming season as any I can remember since the glory days of the late 80′s. With any luck, they will avoid the early season struggles that have been their trademark and run away with the AL West. If they avoid any major injury or other unknown disaster, I fully expect them to make the playoffs. And with the addition of the big bats of Bradley and Thomas, maybe this is the year they finally succeed in the playoffs instead of flaming out early.

For my one and only loyal reader Wood:

Public opinion seems to be that the Dodgers had a pretty good offseason. I’m not quite as bullish about it, however.

In: Brent Tomko, Nomar Garciaparra, Kenny Lofton, Bill Mueller, Sandy Alomar, Jr., Rafael Furcal, Danny Baez, Lance Carter, Jae Seo.

Out: Jose Valentin, Jeff Weaver, Milton Bradley, Jason Phillips, Edwin Jackson, Duaner Sanchez.

On the surface, these moves look OK. However, it adds a lot of age and injury potential to the roster that I don’t like. Several of the new faces are sure to wash out, and their salary will become a burden for the team. Nomar at 1B? Furcal displaces Izturis? Mueller I like, but he can’t be counted on for 150 games because he is seemingly always hurt. Dumping Milton Bradley probably had to be done, but he can flat out play. They will miss him on the field. So here is the lineup:

Lineup:
1B: Nomar Garciaparra
2B: Jeff Kent
SS: Rafael Furcal
3B: Bill Mueller
LF: Jose Cruz Jr.
CF: Kenny Lofton
RF: J.D. Drew
C: Dioner Navarro

Where does Izturis fit when he gets back? Trade bait maybe, or do we just assume that either Mueller, Garciaparra or Kent will be hurt by then? Lofton isn’t playing 150 games, and neither is Drew. So figure that Jason Werth and Rickey Ledee will be getting plenty of playing time. I think they are going to miss Milton Bradley a lot, no matter how insane he is. Add in a rookie catcher that has “Yankee Prospect Washout” written all over him, and I’m skeptical.

Rotation:
Derek Lowe
Brad Penny
Odalis Perez
Brett Tomko
Jae Seo

It is OK, not great. It doesn’t have to be great in Dodger Stadium, as it is a pitcher’s park. I’m not sure they are going to have all that many runs to play with though.

Bullpen:
Eric Gagne
Yhency Brazoban
Danys Baez
Lance Carter
Kelly Wunsch
Hong-Chih Kuo
Jonathan Broxton

Gagne is a stud, assuming he is healthy. Brazoban flashes ability, but seems like the Jorge Julio of the NL. What? Jorge Julio is in the NL now? Hmmm, the Kyle Farnsworth of the NL? Let’s see, he is with the Yankees now so that works. Baez should be a decent set-up guy, and possible trade bait for a closer hungry team later this summer. The rest is either mediocre or an unknown.

In the NL West, there isn’t a whole lot of competition. Arizona might be better, San Diego looks a bit worse, and the Rockies still play in Colorodo. IF all of their guys stay off the DL, the Dodgers should be able to win the division. That is a big, big if. I’m not sold on their bench or AAA depth, so they had better pray for good health.

Don Banks has assembled a new Mock Draft. It is utterly ridiculous and borderline insane. He has Jay Cutler going to the Titans at #3 and Vince Young slipping to the Jets at #4. I understand that the Mock Draft concept doesn’t allow for trades and all that, and that the Titans may very well be targeting Cutler with their pick. But that pick isn’t going to be #3. Unless Floyd Reese is a complete idiot (and he has been a pretty good talent evaluator over the years so I don’t think that is the case), if they do indeed want Cutler they will move down for him. Please believe that someone picking lower than #3 would leap at the chance to draft Young. Hello, the Raiders?

The Arizona Cardinals are probably the worst run franchise in the NFL. Bill Bidwell is probably the worst owner in the NFL. But they are building one hell of a stadium down in Glendale, AZ.

That is an indoor stadium with a mobile field and a retractable hole in the roof. A natural grass field that can move in and out of the stadium. Outside to get sunlight during the week, inside for the games on the weekend. They are also cramming the inside with every new technology they can get their hands on. Discovery featured it in an episode of Extreme Engineering over the weekend that I missed, but I’ve got the replay (check your local listings) queued up on the PVR. I’m very interested in the genesis of this idea for the moving field, and the construction hurdles they must have had to cross.

Only problem? The Cardinals are still going to suck no matter where they play.

Something that often bothers me is the sportswriter “Blurb.” If you have ever seen a news and notes or rumors column on SI.com or ESPN.com, you know what I mean. They are harmless for the most part, but it does seem that about 1/2 of the content is either flat out wrong, something the writer pulled out of his ass, or a note on a player or situation that is completely irrelevant. Many sportswriters are guilty of that, and happily put their name at the bottom of the column anyway (I’m looking at you Skip Bayless.) But these columns are often a mishmash of throwaway lines that no one wants to take responsibility for. I’m going to have a look at some of these lines and either debunk them or ridicule them.

Just in case anyone was fearing another Red Sox sideshow, David Wells is not going to provide one. The Sox’ trade-seeking left-handed veteran will report with pitchers and catchers later this week when spring training begins in Fort Myers, his agent said last night. — Boston Herald

Yeah right. I’ll take that bet…

Cristian Guzman will not be traded, released or sent down to the minor leagues unless the Nationals are willing to eat his contract. The Nationals are going to give him all of Spring Training to prove himself. If he doesn’t do well, look for Royce Clayton to be the Opening Day shortstop and Guzman to be on the bench. — MLB.com

If this is at all true, it is crazy. I’ve thought Bowden to be a bit of an idiot for a while now, but giving yourself a choice between Guzman and Clayton is career suicide. An aside, with the whole Soriano doesn’t want to play the OF thing, why not plug him in at SS? Sure, he will be a butcher in the field, and I don’t know what his range is these days, but he did play there in the minors before moving to 2B. Or stick Vidro at 3B. I know Ryan Zimmerman is penciled in there right now, but he has played some SS in the past too. There has got to be a solution.

Anyone expecting Craig Wilson to pop off at the Pirates’ management this spring probably will end up disappointed. Even though the offseason acquisitions of right fielder Jeromy Burnitz and first baseman Sean Casey could push him to the bench for the first time in three years, Wilson is adamant he will not make waves. — Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

I find it stupefying that the Pirates of all teams can’t either find a place for Wilson’s bat or get something for him in a trade. That team is not good enough to let guys who are cheap and can hit sit on the bench.

Giants coach Tom Coughlin views both Tim Hasselbeck and Jared Lorenzen as No. 3 quarterbacks and wants to add a backup who can at least compete for the No. 2 spot behind Eli Manning.
– New York Post

“The Battleship” was thrilled to find out that he is considered good enough to be a #3. To celebrate, he is going to consume an entire side of beef in 10 minutes. Because that’s how he rolls. His Giants player page lists him at 275 pounds. No way in hell. That is a little more believable than the old Kentucky Media Guide that listed him at 260 though.

Look for Chris Weinke, an unrestricted free-agent backup quarterback for Carolina, to seek a team that will give him a chance to start before re-signing with the Panthers.
– St. Paul Pioneer Press

I weep for any team that views Chris Weinke as the answer.

With all the furor over Cheney and his hunting accident, I’m reminded that Bob Knight once shot a man while hunting as well. I’ll let you draw your own conclusions.

Much thanks to The Mighty MJD who provided a sound file that perfectly exemplifies what a prince among men that guy is. Just why someone would want to send their kid to play for Coach Knight, I’ll never know. Give it a listen:

Bob Knight Yells

Note: in case you are either incredibly dense or have no idea who Bob Knight is, be forewarned that this mp3 is not safe for work. Rated R for language if you will.

It isn’t so much that I hate the Olympics, as I just don’t care. For those fellas out there with the same plight, here is a resource that might make them watchable:

Hot Olympians: The Women

If you have to watch the Olympics this Valentine’s Day, you might as well know which hotties to look for / at. I’m not sure the girls they listed at this site are really the cream of the crop, and it is a pretty skimpy list, but at least it is something to start with. A few they missed:

• Gretchen Bleiler
• Krissy Wendell
• Cassie Johnson

FYI, I’m still not watching.

Hey, are the Winter Olympics going on right now or something? I guess I must not care. I tried to watch Crossing Jordan (gotta have my Jill Hennessy fix) on Sunday, but it was a bunch of dumb skiing instead.

I don’t care about skiing, skating, sledding, curling, or whatever else is an Olympic sport. Frankly, I’m not sure who watches and enjoys these events. If they are so popular (and judging by the ratings, they must be) why are they not popular when it isn’t an Olympic event? Why isn’t the Downhill Double Dutch Mogul Obstacle Course Championships on every weekend instead of football or college basketball?

I’d rather watch Jill Hennessy.