Maybe it’s never going to end.
Maybe, in the winter of 1990, in the back room of a bar just outside of the
city limits, Bobby Cox and John Schuerholz sat down and made a deal, never
quite noticing that their co-conspirator had a tail and lit their cigars by
snapping his fingers. (“Ultra-small lighter from Japan,” he
claimed.)
Maybe the Atlanta Braves are going to make every postseason from now until the
Rapture.
I wrote the Braves off this season, figuring that the cumulative talent drain
since the end of 2002, coupled with the improvement by the Phillies, was
finally going to be too much. It was an amazing run, winning a division title
in 12 straight completed seasons, but all good things had to come to an end.
They’d turned over an entire rotation in two years, never really solved the
corner infield problems that had plagued them since moving Chipper
Jones to the outfield, and watched two of the five best players in
the NL last year move to the AL East. Their corporate ownership continued to
Wal-Mart the payroll, and the farm system wasn’t nearly as productive as it
had been in the 1990s.
I was working with incomplete information. I didn’t know about the 1990
meeting, and a contract signed with an all-too-warm pen, and the eventual
destination of two souls.
Look, we pulled down the Berlin Wall, and it was once controversial to speak out against that. I like to think time will prove me right. It has in the past, I think that’s going to continue. Ideas come and go, and you have to look at them and if their time is past, then so be it, that’s how it goes. You can shoot the messenger if you want, but I’ve been shot at before and I’m still here, still talking to you.
We’ve all got trade fever. Everybody is obsessed with the possibility that massive amounts of jockflesh will be migrating around and about the American and National Leagues. In many cases, it’s not even important that these trades ever even take place. No, what matters is the mere possibility that they might.
Which leads us to the advice portion of today’s effort: How to start, spread and maintain your very own trade rumor. “Why would I want to do that?” some of you might be asking. So that you can leave a mark on society, of course. So that you say that you did something with your life. Not everyone can be a big shot and start a corporation, but anyone can start a rumor. The true test of a person is not how much money they make, but how much misinformation they can circulate among the populace.
As part of BP’s wall-to-wall Trade Deadline coverage, Baseball Prospectus Radio will go two hours live on Saturday, focusing almost completely on trades. We have GMs, agents, and writers at the ready, as well as several BP authors. It should be one heck of a good time, so be sure to tune in.
Powered by a loud, clear voice, on to the injuries:
The Jason Giambi Watch is approaching ridiculous levels, as the media has seized onto the ramblings of Giambi’s personal trainer, Bob Alejo, who is close to the first baseman, but hardly a reliable source of medical information. While amebiasis is a serious condition, it is seldom fatal when treated. There are still other test-results pending, so there are still open questions about Giambi’s condition. He’s yet to go on the DL, but inside sources say that the Yankees are looking at their options if Giambi has to be shut down–one of which could be Doug Mientkiewicz.
Just how badly injured is Andy Pettitte this time? No worse than the last, according to Houston sources, who are also saying that it appears to be another sprained ligament, further weakening the elbow’s structure. Pettitte appears to be damaged goods, making the Yankees decision to let him walk away look all that much smarter. The Astros also hope to get Wade Miller back sometime in August. Miller has been able to play long-toss, but he is not ready to begin a rehab assignment.
The Diamondbacks go with youth in their rotation. The Red Sox pointlessly resurrect Ricky Gutierrez. Grady Sizemore and David Wright make their debuts for the Indians and Mets. Tip o’ the cap to the solid career of Pat Hentgen. These and other happenings in today’s Transaction Analysis.