Pollyellon banned me

[Slaky]

http://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2014/3/14/5506800/why-i-go-to-cubs-games-alone

"BCB's Danny Rockett tells you about a wild night with some great baseball people!"

So, a professional beach volleyball player, a medical marijuana dispensary owner, a finance student, and a cop are hanging out at a baseball game...

Sounds like the beginning of a joke. And it kind of is, considering my life sometimes feels like a big joke, but in actuality it's who I spent Monday afternoon with during the Cubs' 3-2 win against the Giants at Scottsdale Stadium.

[Saul Goodman]

http://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2014/3/14/5506800/why-i-go-to-cubs-games-alone

"BCB's Danny Rockett tells you about a wild night with some great baseball people!"

So, a professional beach volleyball player, a medical marijuana dispensary owner, a finance student, and a cop are hanging out at a baseball game...

Sounds like the beginning of a joke. And it kind of is, considering my life sometimes feels like a big joke, but in actuality it's who I spent Monday afternoon with during the Cubs' 3-2 win against the Giants at Scottsdale Stadium.

Stories like this are refreshing

[J. Walter Weatherman]

No, they shouldn't.

Jeff Francoeur is Not a Prospect, therefore Al wants him.  And he's not talking about rebuilding value for a trade either:

To me, it's a no-brainer. Try him out. If he's still bad after a few weeks of platooning, just release him. If he can perform well enough in that platoon role, he's just 29 and could be a useful spare part for the next couple of years. There's almost literally no downside to giving him a shot.

"just 29" lol k.  Those are the choices.  Release him if he's worthless, or let him keep a roster spot warm for the next two years (which would require signing him to a new contract) if he isn't.  Andy and Kerm, take over BCB already.

I know it's Al and pointing out flaws in his thinking is a waste of time, but there isn't "literally no downside." There are roster implications, missed opportunities for young guys (Junior Lake, perhaps?) and other things that actually matter. Major League rosters aren't like rec softball leagues where someone can just show up and fill in for a while.

Again, I'm having a one-sided argument with a moron here, so whatever.

Hey now.  He said "ALMOST" literally no downside, which, besides being a wonderfully constructed phrase, is his trademark opening to disclaim this later if convenient.  That's the key to never being wrong about your milquetoast opinions.  Always Be Hedging.  Brett is good at it too, which sometimes requires inserting context retroactively:

"I don't expect that it will be a top prospect – or even someone in the Nats' top 30..."

"As I'd guessed, the Cubs are getting a prospect that looks to be in the 20 to 30 range in the Nationals' system..."

Hmmm did you guess that?

Haste. Sorry. My gut was that I'd originally said "back-end of the top 30 at best."

Fuck.

FUCK.

Jeff Francoeur?  JEFF FRANCOEUR?!?  Of all the washed up shitheads that are on the street for the Cubs to sign so that Al can buy a shirsey with a name on the back that people recognize he wants them to sign JEFF FUCKING FANCOEUR?!?!?!?

I mean fuck.  Even when Francoeur was good he was bad.  And now that he's 29 and in decline (from not being that good to begin with) and he's pretty much the antithesis of the type of player Epstein and Hoyer have said they want to acquire AL FUCKING YELLON who runs THE MOST POPULAR CUBS WEBSITE ON THE GODDAMNED INTERNET wants to sign this asshole?!?  Because he wants to say nice things to Francouer when he's falling down in the leftfield so he can feel good when his friend Jeff takes out the inevitable "THANK YOU CUBBEEZ FANZ" ad in the Chicago Tribune at the end of the season?

Fuck.

Opportunity missed. 

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/eye-on-baseball/24524765/video-triple-a-teammates-pull-amazing-prank-on-jeff-francoeur

Veteran outfielder Jeff Francoeur was unable to win a job with the Indians in spring training, and, soon after being released, he signed a minor league contract with the Padres. They assigned him to their Triple-A affiliate in El Paso.

Francoeur's teammates, several of whom he's known since his time with the Braves, decided to pull off an elaborate prank that included the coaching staff, the training staff, and sometimes innocent bystanders. They convinced Jeff that pitcher Jorge Reyes was deaf and kept the gag running for weeks...

[Bort]

No, they shouldn't.

Jeff Francoeur is Not a Prospect, therefore Al wants him.  And he's not talking about rebuilding value for a trade either:

To me, it's a no-brainer. Try him out. If he's still bad after a few weeks of platooning, just release him. If he can perform well enough in that platoon role, he's just 29 and could be a useful spare part for the next couple of years. There's almost literally no downside to giving him a shot.

"just 29" lol k.  Those are the choices.  Release him if he's worthless, or let him keep a roster spot warm for the next two years (which would require signing him to a new contract) if he isn't.  Andy and Kerm, take over BCB already.

I know it's Al and pointing out flaws in his thinking is a waste of time, but there isn't "literally no downside." There are roster implications, missed opportunities for young guys (Junior Lake, perhaps?) and other things that actually matter. Major League rosters aren't like rec softball leagues where someone can just show up and fill in for a while.

Again, I'm having a one-sided argument with a moron here, so whatever.

Hey now.  He said "ALMOST" literally no downside, which, besides being a wonderfully constructed phrase, is his trademark opening to disclaim this later if convenient.  That's the key to never being wrong about your milquetoast opinions.  Always Be Hedging.  Brett is good at it too, which sometimes requires inserting context retroactively:

"I don't expect that it will be a top prospect – or even someone in the Nats' top 30..."

"As I'd guessed, the Cubs are getting a prospect that looks to be in the 20 to 30 range in the Nationals' system..."

Hmmm did you guess that?

Haste. Sorry. My gut was that I'd originally said "back-end of the top 30 at best."

Fuck.

FUCK.

Jeff Francoeur?  JEFF FRANCOEUR?!?  Of all the washed up shitheads that are on the street for the Cubs to sign so that Al can buy a shirsey with a name on the back that people recognize he wants them to sign JEFF FUCKING FANCOEUR?!?!?!?

I mean fuck.  Even when Francoeur was good he was bad.  And now that he's 29 and in decline (from not being that good to begin with) and he's pretty much the antithesis of the type of player Epstein and Hoyer have said they want to acquire AL FUCKING YELLON who runs THE MOST POPULAR CUBS WEBSITE ON THE GODDAMNED INTERNET wants to sign this asshole?!?  Because he wants to say nice things to Francouer when he's falling down in the leftfield so he can feel good when his friend Jeff takes out the inevitable "THANK YOU CUBBEEZ FANZ" ad in the Chicago Tribune at the end of the season?

Fuck.

Opportunity missed. 

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/eye-on-baseball/24524765/video-triple-a-teammates-pull-amazing-prank-on-jeff-francoeur

Veteran outfielder Jeff Francoeur was unable to win a job with the Indians in spring training, and, soon after being released, he signed a minor league contract with the Padres. They assigned him to their Triple-A affiliate in El Paso.

Francoeur's teammates, several of whom he's known since his time with the Braves, decided to pull off an elaborate prank that included the coaching staff, the training staff, and sometimes innocent bystanders. They convinced Jeff that pitcher Jorge Reyes was deaf and kept the gag running for weeks...

Look, there's almost literally no downside to having a victim for your prank monkey on the team.

[Saul Goodman]

New mantra: IT'S TIME TO START, THEO!

[Eli]

New mantra: IT'S TIME TO START, THEO!

15 rhetorical questions from Andy in that one. He must be really fired up.

[BH]

New mantra: IT'S TIME TO START, THEO!

15 rhetorical questions from Andy in that one. He must be really fired up.

Al is right, in three years Theo should have rebuilt the farm system, changed the entire organization, coaching/scouting philosophy all while putting a contender on the field. While keeping within budget constraints. I'll take his article one step further, instead of wanting players to care and play hard, I want Theo to do the same. Get off yer asses boys.

[Eli]

New mantra: IT'S TIME TO START, THEO!

15 rhetorical questions from Andy in that one. He must be really fired up.

Al is right, in three years Theo should have rebuilt the farm system, changed the entire organization, coaching/scouting philosophy all while putting a contender on the field.

You say that like "putting a contender on the field" is some silly, irrelevant thing.

[InternetApex]

New mantra: IT'S TIME TO START, THEO!

15 rhetorical questions from Andy in that one. He must be really fired up.

Al is right, in three years Theo should have rebuilt the farm system, changed the entire organization, coaching/scouting philosophy all while putting a contender on the field.

You say that like "putting a contender on the field" is some silly, irrelevant thing.

You say it like it wouldn't harm their draft position, which is pretty much the surest way to put players into the pipeline who can make the contention a sustainable thing.

[Eli]

New mantra: IT'S TIME TO START, THEO!

15 rhetorical questions from Andy in that one. He must be really fired up.

Al is right, in three years Theo should have rebuilt the farm system, changed the entire organization, coaching/scouting philosophy all while putting a contender on the field.

You say that like "putting a contender on the field" is some silly, irrelevant thing.

You say it like it wouldn't harm their draft position, which is pretty much the surest way to put players into the pipeline who can make the contention a sustainable thing.

It's one way. I don't know about the surest way.

[Quality Start Machine]

New mantra: IT'S TIME TO START, THEO!

15 rhetorical questions from Andy in that one. He must be really fired up.

Al is right, in three years Theo should have rebuilt the farm system, changed the entire organization, coaching/scouting philosophy all while putting a contender on the field.

You say that like "putting a contender on the field" is some silly, irrelevant thing.

You say it like it wouldn't harm their draft position, which is pretty much the surest way to put players into the pipeline who can make the contention a sustainable thing.

It's one way. I don't know about the surest way.

Getting the Bryants and Almoras of the world is a lot easier when your drafting in the single digits.

[Eli]

New mantra: IT'S TIME TO START, THEO!

15 rhetorical questions from Andy in that one. He must be really fired up.

Al is right, in three years Theo should have rebuilt the farm system, changed the entire organization, coaching/scouting philosophy all while putting a contender on the field.

You say that like "putting a contender on the field" is some silly, irrelevant thing.

You say it like it wouldn't harm their draft position, which is pretty much the surest way to put players into the pipeline who can make the contention a sustainable thing.

It's one way. I don't know about the surest way.

Getting the Bryants and Almoras of the world is a lot easier when your drafting in the single digits.

Sure it's easier, but still not foolproof. Plus, these guys all proved to be really good at drafting high-level talent in Boston, usually while picking in the 20s. The Cardinals have drafted late for most of the last decade and still have the best farm system in baseball.

Obviously I get that drafting early boosts the odds of hitting on good players, but I think it's more incremental than people assume.

[InternetApex]

New mantra: IT'S TIME TO START, THEO!

15 rhetorical questions from Andy in that one. He must be really fired up.

Al is right, in three years Theo should have rebuilt the farm system, changed the entire organization, coaching/scouting philosophy all while putting a contender on the field.

You say that like "putting a contender on the field" is some silly, irrelevant thing.

You say it like it wouldn't harm their draft position, which is pretty much the surest way to put players into the pipeline who can make the contention a sustainable thing.

It's one way. I don't know about the surest way.

Getting the Bryants and Almoras of the world is a lot easier when your drafting in the single digits.

Sure it's easier, but still not foolproof. Plus, these guys all proved to be really good at drafting high-level talent in Boston, usually while picking in the 20s. The Cardinals have drafted late for most of the last decade and still have the best farm system in baseball.

Obviously I get that drafting early boosts the odds of hitting on good players, but I think it's more incremental than people assume.

They changed the rules so you can't pay above slot, which was key to their draft success in Boston. Surely you've read about that, been seeing that. They also changed the rules on international signing cheddar so instead of outbidding teams for young talent they've built some giant palace of baseball learning in the D.R. to find and develop the kids before they hit the market. This takes longer too.

[R-V]

New mantra: IT'S TIME TO START, THEO!

15 rhetorical questions from Andy in that one. He must be really fired up.

Al is right, in three years Theo should have rebuilt the farm system, changed the entire organization, coaching/scouting philosophy all while putting a contender on the field.

You say that like "putting a contender on the field" is some silly, irrelevant thing.

You say it like it wouldn't harm their draft position, which is pretty much the surest way to put players into the pipeline who can make the contention a sustainable thing.

It's one way. I don't know about the surest way.

Getting the Bryants and Almoras of the world is a lot easier when your drafting in the single digits.

Sure it's easier, but still not foolproof. Plus, these guys all proved to be really good at drafting high-level talent in Boston, usually while picking in the 20s. The Cardinals have drafted late for most of the last decade and still have the best farm system in baseball.

Obviously I get that drafting early boosts the odds of hitting on good players, but I think it's more incremental than people assume.

They changed the rules so you can't pay above slot, which was key to their draft success in Boston. Surely you've read about that, been seeing that.

Joe Sheehan who is smarter at baseball than I am, made the point recently, that with the combination of the recent, dramatic increases in the amount of scouting information available to front offices, and the slotting rules, that unless you are a bunch of magic fucking wizards with the draft like the Cardinals, tanking really is the most efficient way to get yourself some high-end talent.

I look at this like the Rays with Andrew Friedman. That franchise was also in really bad shape when he was hired in 2004. They turned a few more terrible seasons into Longoria, Price and others and started a great run of sustained success in 2008. But that process took about 4 years.

Yes the Cubs are a much bigger market team but a confluence of events - the way Zell required buyers to structure the deal, the current TV deal, the rooftops and all that bull plop - means that the Cubs are a Rays-esque small market team for now. It's debatable how much was out of Tom and company's control and just bad luck, and how much is due to them screwing the pooch in any number of ways. And yes, I wish they would just dig into their other deep family pockets to fund a huge big league payroll with Darvish and Tanaka and Anibal Sanchez while we wait for all the other business stars to align, but it's not gonna hai and other than not buying many tickets until the team is good again, there's nothing I can do about it.

It sucks watching shitty baseball and god damn I am sick of watching assholes like Ryan Sweeney and Darwin Barney run around out there for going on 5 years now, but it's going to get better. Mark my meaningless words.

[Eli]

New mantra: IT'S TIME TO START, THEO!

15 rhetorical questions from Andy in that one. He must be really fired up.

Al is right, in three years Theo should have rebuilt the farm system, changed the entire organization, coaching/scouting philosophy all while putting a contender on the field.

You say that like "putting a contender on the field" is some silly, irrelevant thing.

You say it like it wouldn't harm their draft position, which is pretty much the surest way to put players into the pipeline who can make the contention a sustainable thing.

It's one way. I don't know about the surest way.

Getting the Bryants and Almoras of the world is a lot easier when your drafting in the single digits.

Sure it's easier, but still not foolproof. Plus, these guys all proved to be really good at drafting high-level talent in Boston, usually while picking in the 20s. The Cardinals have drafted late for most of the last decade and still have the best farm system in baseball.

Obviously I get that drafting early boosts the odds of hitting on good players, but I think it's more incremental than people assume.

They changed the rules so you can't pay above slot, which was key to their draft success in Boston. Surely you've read about that, been seeing that. They also changed the rules on international signing cheddar so instead of outbidding teams for young talent they've built some giant palace of baseball learning in the D.R. to find and develop the kids before they hit the market. This takes longer too.

I'm aware of all that. But I'd hoped that the guys advertised as the best minds as baseball could come up with a market inefficiency better than "gotta lose now so we don't lose later."