Here, There, Everywhere

Ever have one of those weeks where everything hits the fan, except the ceiling fan was in the shop being repaired and balanced so you have this big gloopy mess on the ceiling and every so often when you walk by it drips down and...


Too graphic?


We're having hardware, software and other issues. Since when did personal problems get involved?


So, we're behind, again, but we're on top of things. You just don't know how on top of things we are.

Rickey, Here's $50, Get Lost

Somewhere out there, an enclave of people who think Rickey Henderson is worth a chance. We couldn't disagree more. They'll throw up stats and numbers and finesse their argument to sound like they are offering hope. We're telling you, Rickey is casket shopping and he's already made reservations to be cremated.


That's a reference to overkill, by the way.


Rickey Henderson doesn't deserve a job in Major League Baseball anymore than a 'really good' 16 year old. Especially with the Oakland Athletics. Rickey has worn so many uniforms, does playing for the A's have any significance other than to him since he wouldn't have to move?


Rickey Henderson is not someone you want around your team. There's a reason he was not invited to the A's Fan Fest. There's a reason the A's asked David Justice to be part of the A's staff and not Rickey Henderson.


This is where sabermetrics run dry and you have to use that inner monologue and intuition to come up with reasoning. You know, thinking? Rickey talks to himself. Not figuratively. He actually talks to himself. He does it at the plate, in the field all over. We are not referring to Rickey speaking in the third person.

"Rickey thinks Rickey will have the eggs over-easy and Rickey would also like grits if you have them, if not, Rickey will have the whole wheat toast."

We actually mean he is disturbed. Yes. We have seen it first hand. Anyone who has ever sat in leftfield in Oakland knows this. Most of the time in the field Rickey is looking everywhere but at the pitcher. He looks like a little leaguer waiting for a dragonfly to come back.


Yes, we have read a few hundred articles in which Rickey is mentioned as being less of a teammate and more of a personal valet for his own ego. We've also read the articles where Rickey and a teammate waited out the latter moments of a crucial playoff game by playing cards in the clubhouse rather than in the dugout.


We also read the reports that family members accused him of rape and incest. There's not a stat that can compare with that fallout.


Sure, Rickey can do some great things with OBP and with your teams' press corps. Reading a Rickey Henderson quote is much like reading a seven year old's list of 'great things that are sticky'. It's funny, makes no sense and makes you wonder how the hell the human brain works.


There's a reason to keep Rickey Henderson away from MLB. That reason is there are too many reasons to keep him away from MLB.


Rickey needs to do what is best for Rickey. Start practicing Rickey's Hall of Fame speech, now. Rickey is going to need the five years to learn how to give a speech without looking, sounding, or acting like a complete waste of DNA.


If you want specifics; Adam Piatt is out of options and deserves playing time if he hits and gets on base. Rickey will get on base, but his steal percentage isn't 'automatic' and the A's don't run enough to have the 25th man on the roster for pinch stealing bases. Rickey doesn't hit anymore and if your pinch hitter can't pop one occasionally, then he's not worth having as a pinch-hitter. The A's have a few players they want to keep around for spot duty and occasionally lefty-righty-lefty-righty match-ups. Rickey is a liability in the field and doesn't adapt well to playing center or rightfield. Even though Rickey came up as a centerfielder, he moved to left to make room for Dwayne Murphy-a great fielder in center. Any number of which are significantly better defenders than Rickey. The A's have several players looking to make the last four spots on the roster-Eric Byrnes, Jason Grabowski, Mitchy the Kid and a player to be named later. Not to mention the A's might carry an extra pitcher for the first few weeks until Jim Mecir is back into a groove.


Stop holding on to something that has been gone for sometime. Somebody write how Rickey is endangering his own legacy by holding on too long. Somebody show him to Barry Sanders, Mark McGwire or Tom Henke for a good talking to. Leave the stage gracefully. Last exit to Oakland is four exits passed.

Links, Notes and Stuff

Here's an article on Terrence Long and a reference to a few other tidbits like Miguel Tejada being late for camp and banning Ephedrine. Funny, Terrence Long mentions he tried to pull the ball too much last year. I wonder what blog shouted that from the rooftops last year? We're not going to link to the archives on this. That's what our Google search engine is for.


Ken Macha is so grounded and centered the shift to manage from bench coach shouldn't be an issue. Plus, he's makes good copy and is 'soundbitable'.


There's another reason the A's won't need additional help in the outfield and Rontrez Johnson is the reason. If he can improve his on-base percentage through a short Sacramento stint, the A's would have found a legit centerfielder. The first in a billion years.


We're not on a Ken Rosenthal bashing tour, but we think he has lost perspective. In his latest mailbag he finds a question dealing with the A's and Carlos Beltran. Rosenthal cites the A's would be unable to pay Beltran's $6 million salary. Sort like they were unable to pay David Justice's $7 million salary last year? Sort of like Ray Durham's salary after the trade? The whole concept of what Billy Beane and Paul DePodesta do in trade talks seem to slip the grasp of most media 'elite'. Everything is negotiable and so far Beane and DePodesta has made the Royals and White Sox his regular whipping boys and pulled the sweaters over on the Mets, Yankees, Blue Jays and Tigers where the A's paid less than 100% of an acquired player's salary. Either through cash considerations or simple strategy.


More on Keith Foulke and a little on Mark Johnson who sounds like a cool guy. He is a catcher, after all.


Hmm, is there a correlation or just a coincidence that Baseball Prospectus is picking up steam on money matters in MLB just before they go private-pay per read? Dunno. But, BP.com has been throwing Sacramento around quite a bit as a possible location for a future MLB franchise. If the River Cats weren't in town the A's could pack in 40,000 a night. Half of those would be Kings' fans without a summer home.


To make things confusingly simple and to drive home the point you should have paid attention in Economics, Math and Social Studies classes Doug Pappas runs the numbers in 'Where Does the Money Go?'
Derek Zumsteg is a as good at having steam coming out of his ears while still having a sense of humor and being articulate as someone with a lot of tact and, ugh, stuff. Zumsteg runs down new locales for les Expos de Nomadica.


Will Carroll makes our arms and knees tired. We'll explain. There's a current that exists when you read about an injury, regarding another individual, if you have sustained a similar injury your body becomes empathetic. Talk about throwing motions, shoulder discomfort or having arm troubles and one of our staffers starts raising his elbow and stretching his throwing arm unconsciously. After a few minutes he'll throw on an ice pack or continue stretching. 10 years as a quarterback will do that.


The Steve Bechler death has started a whole swarm of controversy that does little to shine light on a larger problem in baseball. No, it's not drugs or supplements or over-the-counter GNC/Joe Wieder ripoff curealls. It's about making sure the athletes in your stable have more than routine physicals and turn their heads and cough once a year. If MLB owners, and owners in all sports took the time to prepare substantial medical background and insurance reports on players there would be very little left to detail.
In Bechler's case his family has now had two sons drop dead while participating in baseball. That's two too many.