Freel's and Waring's ODDIBEs are identical. I assume that you have Freel's listed twice.

I know it's not what you intended, but you make it sound like Baltimore has a racist fanbase. Baltimore is not even a terribly white city.

WG Ryan Freel

niicee.

I know it's not what you intended, but you make it sound like Baltimore has a racist fanbase.

Not overtly, no, but Oriole fans are among the worst I've observed regarding Mediocre White Guy Worship.

Baltimore is not even a terribly white city.

The attendance at Camden Yards isn't exactly made up of Baltimore residents. I mean, how many cities have separate mass transit lines, one for where White People Like to Go and one for where White People Don't Want to Go?

It's amusing that in baseball, where most of the players are white guys, you can still be such an archetypal white guy that fans love you (Ryan Freel) much more than all the other white guys on your team.

I mean, how many cities have separate mass transit lines, one for where White People Like to Go and one for where White People Don't Want to Go?

I almost spit out my Diet Coke when I read this. I live near the former of those two lines. Nonetheless if you're white you're outnumbered on it most of the time, except before and after Orioles or Ravens games, and *maybe* at peak commuter times.

Not overtly, no, but Oriole fans are among the worst I've observed regarding Mediocre White Guy Worship.

Bo Hart, David Eckstein, Aaron Miles, Adam Kennedy.

Can we get a Wieters projection? Its relevant to the deal, but mostly I just want to see how bad ass it is.

Bo Hart, David Eckstein, Aaron Miles, Adam Kennedy.

Skip Schumacher! Stubby Clapp! Craig Paquette! Joe McEwing!

And they even broke new ground as the first team to have a scrappy Asian guy (So Taguchi).

Truly the Cardinals have been the standardbearers for scrappiness for as long as I can remember. Why, when I was a teenager they even had a scrappy black guy (Kerry Robinson), a scrappy Japanese guy (So Taguchi), and a scrappy Latino (Fernando Viña), all at roughly the same time.

Dammit, I was hoping for Livan.

I don't see how how you can say the Reds were only a bit below-average at catcher last year. The average 2008 NL catcher had a 715 OPS, while Reds catchers had a 681 OPS that was aided by their home park and Ryan Hanigan's hot month never-to-be-repeated-again. Ramon Hernandez should be a lot happier in Cincy this season, and in a contract year I expect him to be motivated. As for the prospects, Turner will probably be a nice UTIL guy in a few years and Waring has almost no chance at making the big leagues. Overall, I think the trade helps out both sides. The Reds were in desperate need for a catcher and paid almost nothing to be a guy who should be pretty league-average. The Orioles dumped a guy they didn't want and got two C prospects plus someone who will help them in 2009 until he runs through a wall and/or another outfielder...

Unofficial projection for Wieters - 293/363/473 in 501 at-bats, 118 OPS+. 64% to be top 20% of catchers, 13% OPS+ >140.

I don't see how how you can say the Reds were only a bit below-average at catcher last year.

Relative to catcher average, the Reds had a 92 OPS+. Below-average, but we're not talking a mile.


The average 2008 NL catcher had a 715 OPS, while Reds catchers had a 681 OPS that was aided by their home park and Ryan Hanigan's hot month never-to-be-repeated-again.

You can't just eliminate data you don't like. The league-average also contains lots of small sample size performances that won't be repeated. Paul Bako won't eat up 300 at-bats ever again either and they were far more damaging to the bottom line than Hanigan's line was helpful.

Hernandez just isn't that good anymore. He'll be a 33-year-old catcher who is a mediocre hitter and no longer controls the running game. The team is no better off than if they just went with the 2008 catchers, minus the terrible Bako.

If the Orioles signed Tex -- and I realize that that's an enormous if -- by how many runs will the Orioles improve with Tex replacing Millar, Wieters replacing Hernandez, and Izturis replacing the Orioles' horrible collection of shortstops? It has to be at least 20-30 runs on defense alone.

I did some projections on that earlier this week. I don't have them in front of me, but I believe the improvement from the shortstops last year to Izturis is roughly the same as Millar-to-Tex (~4 wins).

Somehow the O's managed to to field SS's that were more than a win below replacement with the bat AND more than a win below average with the glove.

They also figure to lose a couple wins at DH as Huff comes back to earth, but Wieters could/should make up for that.

With Tex, that's still shy of a .500 team unless they also find some pitching.

Well the 2008 catching corps consisted of Paul Bako, Dave Ross, Javier Valentin, and Ryan Hanigan. The first three are gone, so it will be interesting to see if you're Ryan Hanigan projection will be better than Hernandez...

Bo Hart, David Eckstein, Aaron Miles, Adam Kennedy.

David Eckstein, John McDonald, Joe Inglett, Kevin Mench, Brad Wilkerson!

And I had learned from the wire that Baltimore was mostly black...

David Eckstein, John McDonald, Joe Inglett, Kevin Mench, Brad Wilkerson!

Nah, you want the real White Jays list, you go with McDonald, Reed Johnson, Matt Stairs (although he got a boost from being Canadian), and Gregg Zaun.

In the interest of full disclosure, I'll concede that I've got a soft spot for Brian Wolfe, and in the past I enjoyed the play of Frank ".301/.400/.504 + one relief appearance" Menechino.

And Frank Catalanotto. I can't believe I missed Frankie Cat.

"Nah, you want the real White Jays list..."

The White Jays had nothing on the Black Brewers of 2008 (Prince, CC, Billy Hall, Cameron, Weeks, Gwynn Jr., and Durham).

Bo Hart, David Eckstein, Aaron Miles, Adam Kennedy.

Point taken, but I've never encountered any Cardinal fans who worshipped Adam Kennedy.

I mean, how many cities have separate mass transit lines, one for where White People Like to Go and one for where White People Don't Want to Go?

I don't know, but every town has two malls: the mall white people go to, and the mall white people *used to* go to. </Chris Rock>

And I had learned from the wire that Baltimore was mostly black...

Shhhhhhhhhhhiiiiiiiiittttttt, that's exactly what I was thinking. Damn TV!

You can't just eliminate data you don't like.

Says who? Elliptical orbits? Who needs 'em! Heliocentric Solar System theory is wrong! Things fall when you drop them? Bah, it's goblins carrying them. Invisible goblins! Screw you and your "gravity".

Be careful or I'll think you out of existence too, Dan.

I don't know, but every town has two malls: the mall white people go to, and the mall white people *used to* go to. </Chris Rock>

And the one they used to go to is on MLK Boulevard.

You're on MLK? RUN