Hank/Len

[BarryBobPosthole]

Jonah Keri is a punk, but here's some love for your Gnats.

I LOL'd when he compared them to the Rays. What a team that everyone should aspire to emulate. (with tongue firmly in cheek)
BKB

http://grantland.com/the-triangle/washington-nationals-masterful-roster-construction-mike-rizzo/

[Chicken Dinner]

Good read - thanks for sharing. In Rizzo, we trust. Keep an eye on this kid Rendon at third. In one year, he's turned Zimmerman into a 1st baseman/outfielder. (It would have happened even without the injuries.) In addition to gold gloves, this kid is going to compete for batting championships. Given that 5 of the Opening Day 8 position players have missed significant time, it's been a helluva a year for the Nats.

[Thumper]

I LOL'd when he compared them to the Rays.

Shouldn't that be L'dOL? :D

[BarryBobPosthole]

Or maybe I R'dOTFLMAO.

BKB

[Chicken Dinner]

How nice is it to not have the Yankees and Red Sox be part of the conversation?

[BarryBobPosthole]

Its awesome. I am still trying to figure out what and why Boston decided to blow up the team that was world champions just a year ago. That seems to be the trend in modern baseball, at least it does for a lot of examples I can think of. The Padres went to the World Series in '98 and then promptly traded away all of their really good players and only kept the Crime Dog and Tony Gwynn for attendance purposes. They've sucked ever since. The Marlins did it in 2003 and then promptly exploded that team. The Tampa Bay Rays did it in 2008. and now the Red Sox. I'm sorry but I just can't root for a team that does that. All of those teams suck, and deservedly so and I hope they're still 'rebuilding' ten years from now.

BKB

[Chicken Dinner]

For small market teams, it's the reality. You just can't afford to keep your young talent once its' free agent eligible. The Yankees are clearly an example of a team that allowed themselves to get both old and expensive. (I can't wait until next year when ARod comes off his suspension and they're choking on that contract again.) It'll take them a decade to dig themselves out of that mess. I honestly think the Red Sox looked at the Yankees and said we'd rather blow it up and come back sooner then have that happen to us.

[BarryBobPosthole]

I agree those are some of the problems the Yankees have. The Reds also have the same issue. A team that's probably the worse of them all is the Phillies. Lordy, they've got a lineup full of old All Stars. But I don't see it a neccessity for doing business in a smaller market.The A's don't do this. The Cards don't do this. And the Nationals don't do this either. Its a large market problem maybe because those teams are the only one that can afford to do stupid stuff.
Heck, I've been scoffing all year at the Cards management for making the trades they've made and they haven't made any what you'd call big trades. But they did take last year's National League Champion and essentially move every player except two to an entirely new position. And remember, the main reason they got beat in the World Series is they couldn't friggin pinch hit. Period. No pop at all off the bench. They fixed everything BUT the bench. And as a result the team hasn't really jelled all year until September and that's still iffy.

Its nice to see the Bearded Bastards of Boston getting their comeuppance. I just wish the ones we bought from them in their fire sale were worth a damn.

BKB

[Buckrub]

Why? The ones we sold them ain't!!