I love paint. Awesome.

The PS is the best part.

All right, which one of you guys is Billy's step-stepfather?

Instead of making fun of this signing, let's talk about Pedro Swann. He went to Delaware State, one of the few historically black colleges still to have a baseball team. His one MLB home run was off Roger Clemens. He has 1,149 career hits at AAA, which seems like a lot. Just look at how he carried the 1997 Greenville Braves. And he only played in 25 big-league games so I have no idea where these comps are coming from.

Is that Dayton in the ROFLcopter?

Actually, signing Bob the Builder would be kinda cool. CAN WE FIX IT? YES WE CAN!

And he only played in 25 big-league games so I have no idea where these comps are coming from.

He only played in 25 big-league games, yes.

Interesting. I didn't realize that translated minor-league stats could lead to two guys with virtually no MLB experience being considered to have had similar careers, in terms of revealed skills, to someone like Jeff Francœur. Or for that matter, somone like Jose Guillen.

Who are today's AAAA lifers who can't get a break?

Another comp, Pedro Swann, is a free agent. Do it Dayton!

There tend to be less now, with Japan as a non-pie-in-the-eye option. Guys like Dan Dorn are now more likely to take the Greg LaRocca and head to NPB. Nelson Cruz and Carlos Pena would have been Ken Phelpsers 20 years ago.

Who are today's AAAA lifers who can't get a break?

Kila Kaaihue, for one.

Guys like Dan Dorn are now more likely to take the Greg LaRocca and head to NPB.

What about Roger Dorn? Where did he land after that magical run in Cleveland?

Didn't you see the sequel? Roger Dorn retired and bought the team.

Who are today's AAAA lifers who can't get a break?

Mitch Jones and John Lindsey are both kicking around.

Didn't you see the sequel? Roger Dorn retired and bought the team.

Amazingly, no, I have never seen Major League 2.

You might want to consider prefacing future comments with "SPOILER ALERT".

:-P

Who are today's AAAA lifers who can't get a break?

John Bowker is about 50 more bad big-league AB from joining the club.

So Dan, how long have you had this written up and ready to go? I picture you having a depository of future transactions like newspapers have for obituaries. The difference, of course, is that this was the only recent transaction that was as inevitable as death so your depository wouldn't need to be as extensive.

I'm actually a TEENSY bit surprised Texas didn't keep him on. The sample size was obviously small, but he did hit .340/.357/.491 in his 56 PA for them. I wonder if they made an offer that was too low for him, or just said hit the road?

I'm not saying they SHOULD have made him an offer, I'm just a little surprised, I guess.

Greg LaRocca has been pretty sweet in NPB, his generation's Bobby Rose.

Nelson Cruz *was* a KPASTer a few years ago, whereas Jones and Lindsey are just good minor leaguers.

I remember Pedro Swann - he never struck me as more than a good minor leaguer.

Who are today's AAAA lifers who can't get a break?
(Some of these have gotten small breaks but failed ... of course, that's how these things go by definition.)
The two that pop out at me (offhand) are:
Winston Abreu. Big league stuff, big league stats. Just signed w/ TOR for next year.
Mike Hessman - batting average is terrible, but plus power, draws walks, and became a pretty good defender at third. Became a good player at roughly the same point he stopped being a prospect (was a first baseman with Atlanta). At peak, was likely above major league average - definitely past peak now. May go to Japan.

What about Roger Dorn? Where did he land after that magical run in Cleveland?

Qo'noS.

There's a new kit of Major Kong that's just been released. Maybe it can be converted into Frenchy?

You might want to consider prefacing future comments with "SPOILER ALERT".

It was his sled.

Mike Hessman - batting average is terrible, but plus power, draws walks, and became a pretty good defender at third. Became a good player at roughly the same point he stopped being a prospect (was a first baseman with Atlanta). At peak, was likely above major league average - definitely past peak now. May go to Japan.

I don't know, likely only 2007/08 when he hit 254/.356/.540/and .271/.374/.602 in the IL, he's got 4000 PAs in AAA and he's hit .241/.329/.492 which likely works out to an MLE of .215/.300/.430
bleeeech

It was his sled.

I got a couple of friends really mad at me one time for saying that. I haven't even seen the stinking movie.

I got a couple of friends really mad at me one time for saying that. I haven't even seen the stinking movie.

It does completely ruin the movie.

It does completely ruin the movie.

No it doesn't, it works perfectly fine as a McGuffin whether you know who/what Rosebud is or not, knowing it ahead of time simply spoils the ending as a sight gag.

If you look carefully at Dan's, er, "drawing," you'll see what can be construed as a ghostly personage suspended in the helicopter back-smoke. Methinks that's our old pal Rany, and hopefully someone is, even now, prepping a rubber room for him.

Yeah, no reason to watch the flick other than the twist at the end.

>> It was his sled.

> I got a couple of friends really mad at me one time for saying that. I haven't even seen the stinking movie.

It does completely ruin the movie.

I don't think the sled is as big a deal as Roger Dorn turning out to be a woman. THAT threw me. I had to go back and watch ML2 twice to work it out.

Are Ernie Young and Trenidad Hubbard still playing? What about Petagine? Matt Murton looks like he'll be a AAA/NPB lifer.

Seriously, .266 .309 .411 seems like a decent projection for Francoeur. If he gets 200 PA instead of 600 he's a useful player.

He's the only right handed hitting outfielder, though. If he shows up, plays defense, and stays right handed, he'll be in the lineup all season long.

I will say this -- he has a lot of situational value to a Royals team that could use a right handed right fielder who'll sign a cheap, short term contract. It's not enough to turn a bad player into a good player, but the Royals had a big Frenchy-shaped hole in the roster. Better this than signing a better yet mediocre player for a lot more money and a lot more years.

Are Ernie Young and Trenidad Hubbard still playing? What about Petagine? Matt Murton looks like he'll be a AAA/NPB lifer.

is matt murton still under contract in NPB?

is matt murton still under contract in NPB?

He signed a two-year deal with Hanshin before last year. So he's got one more.

Love the French flag. Also like that Frenchy's right-handedness is explained by the lack of fingers on his left hand.

What's funny is that Dan probably drew this in 2007 or so; Frenchy becoming a Royal has seemed inevitable sicne about then.

The sled knowledge should have about 0.01% of an effect on your enjoyment of the movie. It's not exactly in the mystery-thriller genre. It's like saying that the Star Wars movies are ruined by knowing that D.V. is Luke's father. There's plenty of other things to see and hear and experience and remember.

It was all a dream! Dorothy was never in Oz!

There. That should ruin The Wizard of Oz about as much as knowing what Rosebud is ruins Citizen Kane. Both reveals are completely irrelevant to your enjoyment of those movies. (Plus not everyone agrees on the meaning of the Rosebud reveal. Is he longing for his lost childhood? Is that his version of saying "Mommy"? Is he saying that he always cared more about things than people? Is his last thought not all that coherent?) Edit: Basically what Crispix said.

Billy is awesome as usual. I particularly like Dayton Moore's ROFLing his money away.

The sled knowledge should have about 0.01% of an effect on your enjoyment of the movie. It's not exactly in the mystery-thriller genre. It's like saying that the Star Wars movies are ruined by knowing that D.V. is Luke's father. There's plenty of other things to see and hear and experience and remember.

Completely ruin is probably a tad strong but that little kick at the end made me enjoy the movie a lot more.

The sled knowledge should have about 0.01% of an effect on your enjoyment of the movie. It's not exactly in the mystery-thriller genre. It's like saying that the Star Wars movies are ruined by knowing that D.V. is Luke's father. There's plenty of other things to see and hear and experience and remember.

Sure there are, but I think 0.01% is ridiculously low-balling it. You're talking about extreme surprises. These movies are structured so that these revelations inflict the greatest possible amount of "Holy ####\" on the audience. The surprises are not just irrelevant tangents.

I first saw CK with sled foreknowledge, and the reveal was uninteresting to me because of it. Welles may have considered the sled trick to be "tawdry" (as per Wikipedia), but he had final say on the script, direction, editing etc and he put it in the movie. It's there for a reason. And any virgin viewer, no matter how much they've been tutored on noticing the groundbreaking cinematography (or whatever), will be damn excited when the reveal occurs, because the plot demands it.

[Baseball content] ZiPS projects .266/.309/.411, 93 OPS+ from a guy with a .256/.301/.389, 83 line the last 3 years? And with only 1 of those years even that "good", and that just a 93 OPS+? That must be one hell of an age bonus. I'll take the under. (I suspected a park bonus too, but Kauffman's played as a slight pitcher's park the last 3 years.) [/Baseball content]

I can testify that seeing Rosebud on an unspoiled viewing is a "Holy ####!" moment. But on a second viewing, it doesn't tell you much. It doesn't change the meaning of the preceding story, it doesn't develop a theme (we already know Kane lost everything he loved), it doesn't explain who Kane was, hell, it doesn't even give a clear impression of what Kane was thinking when he said it. It's an enigma punctuating a life of enigmas. The weight you attach to the reveal depends on how much you value a virgin viewing experience versus repeated watchings and analysis.

And if you believe the William Randolph Hearst=Charles Foster Kane theories, consider this: "Rosebud" was Hearst's nickname for his mistress's clitoris. Maybe all old Kane wanted was a lemon party. (Look, if I have to have that image in my head, I don't want to suffer alone.)

Dayton Moore looks a lot like Charlie Brown, which seems strangely appropriate.

ZIPS ruins the whole next season for me.

I thought Rosebud was a the final lasting dig at William Randolph Hearst, as that was Hearst's pet nickname for his lady friend's private parts. Welles found out and stuck it in the movie simply to infuriate Hearst. Which it did. Immensely.

Knowing that after fact, or rumor (to be fair), made watching Citizen Kane much more interesting. It's the equivalent of your last words being poontang (which they may well be).

Oh, and good to see Moore flying old school in the Bell 47, or is that an Alouette 3160? Clear canopy helos were the stuff back in the day.

I didn't know this officially happened. I love it when internet memes become reality.

Johnny/24: which likely works out to an MLE of .215/.300/.430
His (Hessman's) AAA zMLEs for 2002-2009* have him at .233/.312/.459 (in an aggregated slight pitcher's park). Add plus defense at that's solid, though certainly not world beater, production.
(By year: '02: .249/.306/.467, '03: .242/.290/.440, '04: .261/.337/.511, '05: .214/.292/.382, '06: .220/.295/.451, '07: .248/.331/.511, '08: .263/.350/.572, '09: .203/.295/.385)

* omitting 2010 as it's not in my source file, not trying to use selective endpoints. If I were, I'd probably omit the Richmond experience entirely.