Well according to at least one source of mine, the baseball season is over in Texas. I would tend to agree, but trade talks are all sorts of fun for me and others. This is why I have focused my attention on the Rangers and I only talked about the Astros per request.
Mavs Talk
Yes it is true that C-Webb might be coming to the Metroplex, but I have mixed feelings on this matter. We already signed Brandon Bass, 6-8 PF from the Big Easy, which leaves Pops on the outside looking in. We only have so many spots on the roster for these free agents. Bass was impressive in Summer League, but I would have rather kept Pops and see what he could have done this year. Barea had a great summer league and the Mavs have until Aug.1 to sign him which according to Barea's agent it looks like they will. Now C-Webb is not getting younger and according to Mark Followill, Mavs T.V. play-by-play man, Webber played too many minutes with the Pistons last year and started to break down as the season progressed. If he can maintain a balance of 20-25 than he could be a productive player for the Mavs. He shoots the ball well and he is an above average ball distributor. It remains to be seen if he is signed who is left out to dry.
Cow Talk
With training camp just heating up there is not much on the Cow radar. "The player" is behaving himself and if I have to hear one more question to Wade about Bill I think I will go nuts. It's not fair to either one, yet the reporters keep poking that big stick into Wade's side. One of Bills' boys was cut the first day of practice, Matt Baker. A QB from UNC was one of the Tuna's favorites yet was shown the door early. I am excited to see what Hamlin can do to protect Roy in the secondary and we will see what kind of year Ware can have in this new and maybe improved 3-4 defense.
Keep sending in requests and I will do my best to come through for you.
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Astros Talk for Kyle
The Astros have been in a dogfight (no pun intended for all those Vick fans) this year for the cellar of the NL central. This is the same NL central that is the worst division in baseball. Currently the Astros are 13 under .500 and 12 games out of first place. They have won 6 of 10 but lost yesterday 9-4 to the Fathers. Their 2B Mark Loretta is currently being shop around to many would be takers and there was talk of closer Brade Lidge moving but that has cooled as of late. Ex-Ranger Carlos Lee is having a great year batting around .300 and has 84 RBIs and has many people know Craig Biggio hit his 3,000 hit several weeks back. He also announce that his last game will be Sept. 30 in which he would like to play catcher one last time.
There is Astros talk and like I said in my first blog I will discuss topics that are brought up, but that might be my last Astros talk for awhile. Honestly, who likes the Astros?
There is Astros talk and like I said in my first blog I will discuss topics that are brought up, but that might be my last Astros talk for awhile. Honestly, who likes the Astros?
Bonds hits #754
OK, with Bonds hitting #754 last night and one away from tying the great record, I felt he was finally worth talking about. I read Game of Shadows which is a great book and I learned a lot about steroids not only in baseball, but in all sports. I highly recommend reading it before anyone thinks Bonds is innocent. Despite Bonds juicing and enormous head size, he is an Hall of Famer. He has always been a great hitter but he used to be a 5-tool player and he has lost that over the last seven years. Bonds has over 2,900 hits, almost 2,000 RBIs, 2,500 walks, 514 stolen bases. The man that can barely run to first base does have over 500 stolen bases. Bonds in his heyday could play outfield with the best of them, hit with power, and had incredible speed. One can only speculate, but if Bonds had not done the drugs he still would have finished with over 500 home runs. He was caught up in all the hoopla surrounding McGwire and Sosa and he wanted a piece of that pie. It worked for him but not in a good way. Ask me what the single season home run record is and I will say, "61 by Roger Maris". I will treat the career record the same way, "755 by Hank Aaron". So when Bonds does hit #756, I will have to turn a blind eye.
Friday, July 27, 2007
Rangers get little in Return
The Rangers traded Lofton to the Indians for class A catcher Max Ramirez. He played in the Futures Game about a month back and his stats are promising: .303, 12 HR, 62 RBIs. One report I read said that this kid really doesn't have a position, but his bat is big league potential.
The latest Tex trade news is the Angels are coming on strong with their offers. The guys on the table are 1B Kotchman (.295/9/45-more walks than Ks), LHP Joe Saunders (4-0/2.87/6 starts), and one of many OF prospects. Originally they were offering Santana who has had success in the Majors, but the wheels fell off this year and he was sent back down to AAA. I am excited about Saunders since he is a lefty with a low ERA. The only thing is I don't want to see Tex play the Rangers 19 times a year.
Stay tune for the latest.
One last note: If they can't trade Sosa they will either bench or release him.
The latest Tex trade news is the Angels are coming on strong with their offers. The guys on the table are 1B Kotchman (.295/9/45-more walks than Ks), LHP Joe Saunders (4-0/2.87/6 starts), and one of many OF prospects. Originally they were offering Santana who has had success in the Majors, but the wheels fell off this year and he was sent back down to AAA. I am excited about Saunders since he is a lefty with a low ERA. The only thing is I don't want to see Tex play the Rangers 19 times a year.
Stay tune for the latest.
One last note: If they can't trade Sosa they will either bench or release him.
McCarthy-Danks Trade
With all these trade talks swirling around, who are we trusting to make the big moves? John Daniels is the man pulling all the strings for the Rangers. When hired he was the youngest GM in MLB history and so far his performance has been less than stellar.
The big moves he has made so far in his short tenure:
Soriano-Wilkerson=F--speaks for itself.
Adrian Gonzalez, Chris Young, Sledge---Otsuka, Eaton=Big time F--Young is now one of the best pitchers in the game and in fact I have him on my fantasy team and he is considered #1 starting pitcher. Gonzalez is one of the best young 1B in the NL and Eaton missed half the year last year for the Rangers. Otsuka has been great for us, but does not counter what Young and Gonzalez have done for the Priests.
Dellucci-Tejeda=C--Jury is still out on this trade because Tejeda started off this year hot but has since cooled and I can't remember the last time he won a start. Dellucci on the other hand was a fan favorite and did the little things for the Rangers much like a Rusty Greer, but since the trade he has moved from the Phils to the Indians and is batting .234.
Danks, Masset-McCarthy=??? Too early to tell, but so far it looks ugly.
Tale of the Tape:
Brandon McCarthy 2007: 4-7, 5.52ERA, 76+Innings, 46Ks, 36BB, 7-9 Team Record
John Danks: 6-7, 4.83ERA, 108 Innings, 81Ks, 42BB, 9-10 Team Record
Nick Masset: 2-3, 7.09ERA, 39 Innings, 21Ks, 26BB
The numbers say it all. As bad as those numbers look, McCarthy has been better since the first month and a half. As for Danks his numbers are far from impressive but he is younger and has less major league experience but look at the Ks/BB ratio. He has a lot more strikeouts and less walks per nine innings. The "other" guy in trade, Masset, has not done well for the Sox, but Danks is clearly overshadowing McCarthy so far regardless.
So there you have it, we are trusting are beloved Rangers to the same guy that made these trades. Are you wiping the puke off your mouth too? I think writing this blog has made me sick. Be back later.
The big moves he has made so far in his short tenure:
Soriano-Wilkerson=F--speaks for itself.
Adrian Gonzalez, Chris Young, Sledge---Otsuka, Eaton=Big time F--Young is now one of the best pitchers in the game and in fact I have him on my fantasy team and he is considered #1 starting pitcher. Gonzalez is one of the best young 1B in the NL and Eaton missed half the year last year for the Rangers. Otsuka has been great for us, but does not counter what Young and Gonzalez have done for the Priests.
Dellucci-Tejeda=C--Jury is still out on this trade because Tejeda started off this year hot but has since cooled and I can't remember the last time he won a start. Dellucci on the other hand was a fan favorite and did the little things for the Rangers much like a Rusty Greer, but since the trade he has moved from the Phils to the Indians and is batting .234.
Danks, Masset-McCarthy=??? Too early to tell, but so far it looks ugly.
Tale of the Tape:
Brandon McCarthy 2007: 4-7, 5.52ERA, 76+Innings, 46Ks, 36BB, 7-9 Team Record
John Danks: 6-7, 4.83ERA, 108 Innings, 81Ks, 42BB, 9-10 Team Record
Nick Masset: 2-3, 7.09ERA, 39 Innings, 21Ks, 26BB
The numbers say it all. As bad as those numbers look, McCarthy has been better since the first month and a half. As for Danks his numbers are far from impressive but he is younger and has less major league experience but look at the Ks/BB ratio. He has a lot more strikeouts and less walks per nine innings. The "other" guy in trade, Masset, has not done well for the Sox, but Danks is clearly overshadowing McCarthy so far regardless.
So there you have it, we are trusting are beloved Rangers to the same guy that made these trades. Are you wiping the puke off your mouth too? I think writing this blog has made me sick. Be back later.
Lofton to Cleveland?
I just heard on Espn Radio that Lofton was traded to the Indians but I do not know for whom and I am not finding any details. Stay tuned.
Other Rangers Moving?
Who honestly cares right now? Yes we could discuss Lofton to Cleveland or Gagne moving somewhere, Sosa to the Mets, and even possibly Aki to the Rockies, who cares? Everyone is talking about where Tex will go. Ken Rosenthal from Fox Sports within the hour reported that now the Braves are offering Salty, AA left handed pitcher Matt Harrison, and class A shortstop for ONLY Tex. These three are top prospects in the Atlanta Braves organization and Harrison's stats in AA run like this: 5-7, 3.39 ERA, 71Ks/116plus innings. I am a little disappointed with those numbers, but keep in mind that he is a lefty and the only lefty the Rangers have now close to majors is John Rheinecker who pitched this last Tuesday. We did have a good LHP in John Danks, but we threw in away (which I will discuss later). The guy in the Braves organization that I mentioned yesterday, Jo-Jo Reyes, has more impressive AA stats: 8-1, 3.56 ERA, 71Ks/73 innings, but he does not seem to be in the mix anymore. If the offer that I mentioned above is on the table I say, WHERE DO I SIGN? If you are the Rangers you do this now and Daniels would look so good doing it. There are even rumblings that Salty might play catcher, but where that leaves Gerald Laird who knows?
Stay tuned for the latest trade winds and coming up: Danks-McCarthy trade grade.
Stay tuned for the latest trade winds and coming up: Danks-McCarthy trade grade.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Ranger Trade Talk
I will cover most of the major sports, but in my mind the big thing in the sports world is the TRADING DEADLINE. The deadline is Tuesday July 31 I think around 3:00 p.m. CST. Espn.com has a countdown if you are dying to know down to the minute. Either way it is fast approaching and I am estastic! Rangers on the block are Tex, Aki, Gagne, Lofton, Sosa, Benoit, and maybe Wilkerson. Despite what some of you fellow sports geeks have heard: no, C.J. Wilson is not up for discussion. The Rangers would not get rid of a lefty that can throw 93-94mph and could be the Rangers closer in the future.
Who is most likely to be traded?
Tex, Tex, and Tex. The switch hitting power hitter is the most coveted player on the market leading up to the deadline and several teams are interested. The Braves and the Angels are leading the way with the Red Sox and the Yanks trailing behind. Many people say the Dodgers are in the hunt but with Loney (.362AVG, 4HR, 23RBI, 119ABs) playing the way he is at first, there is little or no chance they would want Tex.
What are we looking at getting in return?
The Braves would most likely put my Salty (.284AVG, 4HR, 12RBI, 141ABs), a switch hitting catcher that is attempting to play first base up on the block and a couple of prospects. Yes, I know I called him MY Salty because I have already fallen for this guy. Strictly in a manly sports way he is the MAN! The 22 year-old stud from Atlanta has lost some playing time with the addition of grandpa Julio Franco. No, is name is not Salty but it is really long and I am not going to spell it out for you. He is the Braves top prospect and we could get a young SS (for what reasons I don't know) and a solid pitching prospect. Hopefully fingers crossed, Jo-Jo Reyes.
What would we have to give up other than Tex?
Originally the Rangers were going to give Tex and only Tex in a deal with him, but lately talks are going on about adding Benoit or Ron Mahay, or yes even Gagne. Now if we give up Gagne and Tex to the same team they better give up their first born. Personally I want to keep Gagne and sign him to an extension and ship out Aki, set-up man.
Why have I spent time only on the Braves possible deals?
To me they are the only real players, but their owner is nortorious for not doing enough and that could hamper the deal. I mention the Angels and yes they are still serious contenders around the nation, but to me I don't see the Rangers shipping Tex in the same division and their first basemen, Casey Kotchman, is not as attractive prospect as Salty. The one thing the Angels have going for them is their owner is cut from the Mark Cuban mold and so he is willing to do what it takes to get somebody there if he wants them. That may bode well for the Rangers since GM John Daniels needs desperately to make this trade look right in the fans' eyes.
Tomorrow: Discuss other Rangers and possible deals and look back at Daniels debacle trade with the White Sox last off-season.
Who is most likely to be traded?
Tex, Tex, and Tex. The switch hitting power hitter is the most coveted player on the market leading up to the deadline and several teams are interested. The Braves and the Angels are leading the way with the Red Sox and the Yanks trailing behind. Many people say the Dodgers are in the hunt but with Loney (.362AVG, 4HR, 23RBI, 119ABs) playing the way he is at first, there is little or no chance they would want Tex.
What are we looking at getting in return?
The Braves would most likely put my Salty (.284AVG, 4HR, 12RBI, 141ABs), a switch hitting catcher that is attempting to play first base up on the block and a couple of prospects. Yes, I know I called him MY Salty because I have already fallen for this guy. Strictly in a manly sports way he is the MAN! The 22 year-old stud from Atlanta has lost some playing time with the addition of grandpa Julio Franco. No, is name is not Salty but it is really long and I am not going to spell it out for you. He is the Braves top prospect and we could get a young SS (for what reasons I don't know) and a solid pitching prospect. Hopefully fingers crossed, Jo-Jo Reyes.
What would we have to give up other than Tex?
Originally the Rangers were going to give Tex and only Tex in a deal with him, but lately talks are going on about adding Benoit or Ron Mahay, or yes even Gagne. Now if we give up Gagne and Tex to the same team they better give up their first born. Personally I want to keep Gagne and sign him to an extension and ship out Aki, set-up man.
Why have I spent time only on the Braves possible deals?
To me they are the only real players, but their owner is nortorious for not doing enough and that could hamper the deal. I mention the Angels and yes they are still serious contenders around the nation, but to me I don't see the Rangers shipping Tex in the same division and their first basemen, Casey Kotchman, is not as attractive prospect as Salty. The one thing the Angels have going for them is their owner is cut from the Mark Cuban mold and so he is willing to do what it takes to get somebody there if he wants them. That may bode well for the Rangers since GM John Daniels needs desperately to make this trade look right in the fans' eyes.
Tomorrow: Discuss other Rangers and possible deals and look back at Daniels debacle trade with the White Sox last off-season.
Why Post a Blog?
I will start the blog with one of the most obvious questions: Why bother?
Well, the simple answer is: Why not? I am an avid sports fan (especially DFW sports) and I would like my voice to be heard, but not just my voice but people I know and people who happen to stumble across this site. This will not just be my soapbox, but every body's soapbox. Feel free to put your two cents in while I put in two dollars. One rule when it comes to this blog: NO CUSSING! If you swear or use the Lord's name in vain I will delete your comment and your voice will not be heard on this website.
Next obvious question: What is up with the name?
Well I am of Czech descent and one of the regions in Eastern Europe is Bohemia and blah blah people from there are Bohemians. The other half of the title is the word banter. According to dictionary.com the word means "an exchange of light, playful, teasing remarks; good-natured raillery". How about that for a definition. That will sums up what usually comes out of my mouth referring to sports.
Next question: What are you going to talk about?
Since this is my blog, whatever I want to talk about, but if you have a topic or something that is of importance to you; I will consider it. One other thing, I do not care about proper English. As long as the spelling is close enough that is all we need. That remark will save my butt in the future and probably I should have put that comment in the beginning seeing how I am sure I have many mistakes already.
Next question: OK, so what are you going to talk about?
Oh yes, I didn't elaborate in the previous paragraph. I am a Cowboys, Mavericks, Rangers, Reds, USC Trojans, Baylor Bears (yes I said Baylor: Sic'Em Bears), Scott Podsednik, and any USC alumni fan. I think that about covers it, but I can and will surprise you. I know national sports and will blog about them from time to time whether it is the superhuman Bonds or PETA loving Michael Vick. Anything is Game.
With all that said I am very excited to get started and look forward to intelligent comments from everyone. YEAH RIGHT! If you say something stupid I will not hesitate to take your remarks out to the Woodshed!
Well, the simple answer is: Why not? I am an avid sports fan (especially DFW sports) and I would like my voice to be heard, but not just my voice but people I know and people who happen to stumble across this site. This will not just be my soapbox, but every body's soapbox. Feel free to put your two cents in while I put in two dollars. One rule when it comes to this blog: NO CUSSING! If you swear or use the Lord's name in vain I will delete your comment and your voice will not be heard on this website.
Next obvious question: What is up with the name?
Well I am of Czech descent and one of the regions in Eastern Europe is Bohemia and blah blah people from there are Bohemians. The other half of the title is the word banter. According to dictionary.com the word means "an exchange of light, playful, teasing remarks; good-natured raillery". How about that for a definition. That will sums up what usually comes out of my mouth referring to sports.
Next question: What are you going to talk about?
Since this is my blog, whatever I want to talk about, but if you have a topic or something that is of importance to you; I will consider it. One other thing, I do not care about proper English. As long as the spelling is close enough that is all we need. That remark will save my butt in the future and probably I should have put that comment in the beginning seeing how I am sure I have many mistakes already.
Next question: OK, so what are you going to talk about?
Oh yes, I didn't elaborate in the previous paragraph. I am a Cowboys, Mavericks, Rangers, Reds, USC Trojans, Baylor Bears (yes I said Baylor: Sic'Em Bears), Scott Podsednik, and any USC alumni fan. I think that about covers it, but I can and will surprise you. I know national sports and will blog about them from time to time whether it is the superhuman Bonds or PETA loving Michael Vick. Anything is Game.
With all that said I am very excited to get started and look forward to intelligent comments from everyone. YEAH RIGHT! If you say something stupid I will not hesitate to take your remarks out to the Woodshed!
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