soco's Mind Dump - Now with more tackiness!
by soco on Nov 9, 2008 1:53 PM EST
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PrintThe season might be over but that doesn't mean there isn't plenty to obsess and chat over. Postseason awards? Free-agency? Puh-leeze.
Up first is a small rundown over ESPN detailing the Diamondbacks' offseason needs. What is there to say that we didn't already know? We need a second baseman, we need consistant offense and less strikeouts, and some serious bullpen shakeup. I'd be surprised if the Diamondbacks are able to make any big free-agent splashes, let alone blockbuster trades, but we'll have to wait and see.
Sources: Cuban Cut from Cubs
Also from ESPN sources are now saying that new Cubs' owner hopeful, Mark Cuban, has little to no chance of being in the final bidding group. His bid is rumored to be over a billion dollars, though the Tribune Company is alledgely considering to sell only part of the team for now.
"The Cubs have got smart, smart people here. I mean they're winning, they're doing great things, I'll just stay out of the way," Cuban said in August, weeks after learning he had made the field of five bidders. "Believe it or not, I can stay out of the way."
Nats Update Wardrobe, Still Terrible
The Washington Nationals unveiled new uniforms this week for the road, and two new alternates. The two alternates (one red and one blue for Independence Day) are rather bland, but the away is gorgeous. Now if only their home uniform would get on board to that design. If this was the design the Diamondbacks copied, I would be a happy man.
University of Oregon Determined to Look Like a Joke
College baseball isn't really talked about too much around here, and for generally good reason. I saw this over at Uni-Watch, though, and it was too good to pass up. Nike sponsors the University of Oregon in exchange for "artistic freedom," and as you can tell, their designers need to be dragged outside and put out of their misery. Most college baseball uniforms are pretty goofy, but this takes the cake.
Dodgers Have More Money Than Sense
ESPN is reporting that the Dodgers offered Manny Ramirez a $25 million a year contract, for either two or three years. If accepted the deal would make Ramirez the second highest per-year player in baseball behind Alex Rodriguez. No word yet if Manny plans to pursue any 80's pop stars, but I hear Boy George is available.
WBC Sees New Format
The 2009 edition of the World Baseball Classic introduces double elimination in the first rounds, foregoing the complicated tiebreakers of the previous tournament. 16 games are expected to be broadcast on the brand-new MLB Network, which launches in January.
The MLB Network
This isn't news by any strech of the imagination, but I imagine there are still some people that haven't heard the good word. Not much is known about the new channel, but it seemingly willl be in basic or tiered cable packages. Don't quote me on that, though. Beyond the 16 WBC games, an additional 39 games are expected to be broadcast through the season. Hopefully these will be a roving matchup deal, and not the "Red Sox/Yankees Matchup of the Week" that we get on ESPN and Fox. Personally, I'm hoping for a good mix of historic programming, highlights/analysis, and general baseball interest. It launches January 1st, 2009.
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It still
boggles my mind that teams are willing to pay a 36 year old outfielder 25 million dollars a year. Absolutely astounding.
The folly of the dodgers
will end up helping us in the long term.
What does a mama bear on the pill have in common with the World Series? No cubs.
by unnamedDBacksfan on Nov 9, 2008 2:08 PM EST up reply actions
Only
if they’re actually sticking to a budget. Do you really think the Doggers would turn down another high-priced free agent just because of this deal?
When David Ortiz retires from the BoSox, he’ll become a Dodger too. Frank McCourt has a thing for Red Sox’ — Derek Lowe, Mandy, Grady Little, etc.
"If the government's nuclear football ever were to fall into the wrong hands, Chris Horton would be called upon to intercept it on behalf of the Pentagon." -Kissing Suzy Kolber
I think that it is “…absolutely astounding…” that people can not recognize the level of performance produced by this “36 year old outfielder.”
Heck, why would people not be “…absolutely astounded..” that a mid level market club would pay a 43/44 year old pitcher $16 million a year?
Not to mention
the fact that pitching is more valuable, generally speaking, than hitting.
"If the government's nuclear football ever were to fall into the wrong hands, Chris Horton would be called upon to intercept it on behalf of the Pentagon." -Kissing Suzy Kolber
Nice
If you want to do this weekly during the off-season, I wouldn’t mind. :-)
Looking forward to the MLB network: I don’t think I’ll want to splash out extra for it, but anything that brings more baseball to TV is alright by me. I’ve been watching some of the winter-ball games, even with a Spanish commentary, just to get my fix!
So, no Cuban to the Cubs; that’s a shame, as I looked forward to him bringing the same MLB title success to Chicago, as he did in the NBA to the Mavericks. That would be “none at all.”
Boras is saying the Ramirez offer from the Dodgers is “too short.” Little doubt he’ll try the free-agent market and see what happens there. As long as the Dodgers end up wasting the money i.e. not on Ramirez or Sabathia, that’s fine by me. Doesn’t Andruw Jones deserve a contract extension?
Sure, can do
I’m sure there will be a team that is willing to give a longer contract to Ramirez, but I wonder if it would include more money? I don’t even want to think of the circus in the media if he signs with the Yankees, though.
We are gonna get drunk with Adam Dunn and we're gonna head-butt some damn kangaroos.
Is there some plan to just move every team in the league to the same generic jerseys- one white, one red, and one grey?
"And a note to self that we must tread carefully if we wish not to give gratuitous offense, and even more carefully if we do wish to give it."
-Stephen Fry
Well
replace the red with “whatever your primary or secondary color is,” then probably. It’s not really different than the previous decades of a home white and a road grey. Occasionally a team will attempt something new, but the “classic” uniforms are always the ones that stick to that basic template. As for alternates it’s just another part of the business in all sports. At least American sports aren’t as bad as football teams around the world with the switching of kits every year to two years.
We are gonna get drunk with Adam Dunn and we're gonna head-butt some damn kangaroos.
Yes, but
I’m assuming this is also part of the “let’s get everyone to switch their primary or secondary color to red” conspiracy. How many teams have gone to a red jersey in the past, say, ten years? According to my half-assed research, the Astros, Diamondbacks, Nationals, and the Red Sox and Braves alternates. The Cardinals and the Angels have added red practice uniforms, too. The conspiracy grows, my friend. Fight the power!
"And a note to self that we must tread carefully if we wish not to give gratuitous offense, and even more carefully if we do wish to give it."
-Stephen Fry
The Nationals/Expos
have always been red/blue/white, and so like the Red Sox or Braves of course they would get a red alternative. Now the Pirates? That makes no sense.
We are gonna get drunk with Adam Dunn and we're gonna head-butt some damn kangaroos.
Pirates! I knew my half-assed research had missed one
But I see they’ve already got to you, soco. It’s too bad.
I’m gonna go line all my Diamondbacks hats with some tin foil now.
"And a note to self that we must tread carefully if we wish not to give gratuitous offense, and even more carefully if we do wish to give it."
-Stephen Fry
But
how is it bad that teams with red as a dominate color use a red alternate? I understand railing against alternates of any kind, but red specifically seems a bit off. Personally I think the red of the Pirates and the black of the Mets, Royals, et cetera is pretty dumb.
We are gonna get drunk with Adam Dunn and we're gonna head-butt some damn kangaroos.
Really, the red isn't the issue
I just feel like a lot of the new uniforms lately seem pretty generic and interchangeable, other than the city or team name on the front.
"I'm here to advise you on dispensing horror in this modern military climate. I understand you're a demigod, that's fantastic!"
Generic = not necessarily bad
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the 1986 Astros. Unique, certainly. But can you see yourself wearing this?
I was going to paste the actual picture, but in the interests of saving readers’ retinas, I’ll just post a link
http://www.authenticsportscollectibles.com/store/images/49497.jpg
You may want to don sunglasses before clicking.
by Jim McLennan on Nov 10, 2008 11:30 AM EST up reply actions
Didn't the Chicago
White Sox have some hideous uniforms in the late 70’s/early 80’s?
What does a mama bear on the pill have in common with the World Series? No cubs.
by unnamedDBacksfan on Nov 10, 2008 12:38 PM EST up reply actions
Terrible ones
things like shorts and collars.
We are gonna get drunk with Adam Dunn and we're gonna head-butt some damn kangaroos.
Don't forget the coffee-can caps
of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
"We...probed them all the way through. They're completely meat." — Terry Bisson
CAREFUL
yes, the Sox did have the long collars and shorts…..We liked to call it “Cutting Edge of Fashion”…LOL
It was the Disco-burn-the-outfield-grass-syndrome era.
Astros unee was a keeper as well…..
How could he lose the ball in the sun....he's from Mexico.
Right after the switch
the design firm that designed the new jerseys did a presentation at ASU. According to them, the biggest reason for the switch to red was licensed merchandise sales. Red jerseys sell better than any other color.
"We...probed them all the way through. They're completely meat." — Terry Bisson
I think
the D’backs black set is the best one they have right now. The red “A” is a little big, but overall it’s pretty good.
We are gonna get drunk with Adam Dunn and we're gonna head-butt some damn kangaroos.
On the U of O uniforms..
I live in Oregon and the horrendous nature of all of their uniforms is of epic proportion. One just can’t do much with green and yellow.
The Oakland Athletics
have some of the best uniforms. A nice dark, kelly green with yellow accents is perfect, but unfortunately Nike is crazydumb.
We are gonna get drunk with Adam Dunn and we're gonna head-butt some damn kangaroos.
The Packers would also say you can make a perfectly fine uniform with green and yellow.
I think the reliance on a giant ‘O’ on the uniform is a big part of the problem. The rest of the jerseys are okay.
"I'm here to advise you on dispensing horror in this modern military climate. I understand you're a demigod, that's fantastic!"
It makes the player
Look like one-quarter of Devo.
by Jim McLennan on Nov 10, 2008 3:26 PM EST up reply actions
Or, between the hat and the jersey,
a human target for the Mozambique Drill.
"If the government's nuclear football ever were to fall into the wrong hands, Chris Horton would be called upon to intercept it on behalf of the Pentagon." -Kissing Suzy Kolber
The most hideous things Ive ever seen.
Those unis make me want to vomit. The pinstripes aren’t even stripes. They are the words of the school fight song scrunched down really tiny. And that green cutoff with the big yellow O..? What the hell is that? Reminds me of those “back to the future” games that happened a few years back. Awful. Hideous. Disgusting.
Never give up. Never give in.
by pepperdinedevil on Nov 10, 2008 6:31 PM EST up reply actions
The pinstriping
is a cool idea, but that’s probably about it.
We are gonna get drunk with Adam Dunn and we're gonna head-butt some damn kangaroos.
At least
the football team has those black unis now. But, yeah. the Ducks seem to have an obsession with creating the nation’s ugliest uniforms.
"If the government's nuclear football ever were to fall into the wrong hands, Chris Horton would be called upon to intercept it on behalf of the Pentagon." -Kissing Suzy Kolber
But the black uniforms
have gold wings printed on the front. It looks like some hip-hop t-shirt you’d find on Karma Loop.
You keep on rowin', and I'll keep on smilin'.
You prefer
the diamond-plating?
"If the government's nuclear football ever were to fall into the wrong hands, Chris Horton would be called upon to intercept it on behalf of the Pentagon." -Kissing Suzy Kolber
I prefer
classic uniforms, as it shouldn’t be an either/or situation. All of U of Oregon’s uniforms are ugly.
You keep on rowin', and I'll keep on smilin'.
Nobody who's sober
would disagree. All I was saying was, at least black is a sharper color, and having a flourish vaguely reminiscent of a duck (since they ARE the ducks, after all) is better than having a flourish vaguely reminiscent of a Ford F-150.
I’m not saying that ducks are dumb. Or ugly. Or colorblind. All I’m saying is:
’Nuff said.
"If the government's nuclear football ever were to fall into the wrong hands, Chris Horton would be called upon to intercept it on behalf of the Pentagon." -Kissing Suzy Kolber
by DbacksSkins on Nov 19, 2008 10:40 AM EST up reply actions
A few things I was going to comment on before I looked at the Nationals new uniforms
-The whole thing with Cuban is dumb. If the man can put up the money for the team, let him. Though I don’t know if there’s any truth to the rumor I just made up heard that the NBA is backing Cuban’s loan so he’ll be out of David Stern’s hair for six months out of the year.
-I found the coverage of the Dodgers’ offer to Manny interesting- some (ESPN was the main one I noticed) focused on how much money it was, others (Yahoo) seemed to dwell on how short the contract was.
-I’m looking forward to the WBC this year. Especially if more of it’s going to be on TV. And maybe I’ll even remember to watch more actual games this time. No promises, though.
How long until Spring Training starts?
"I'm here to advise you on dispensing horror in this modern military climate. I understand you're a demigod, that's fantastic!"
Knowing Cuban,
he won’t sit in the owner’s box or the stands. He’ll sit in the dugout, and come out onto the field to argue with the umps.
And then he’ll be investigated by the SEC. Oh, wait….
"If the government's nuclear football ever were to fall into the wrong hands, Chris Horton would be called upon to intercept it on behalf of the Pentagon." -Kissing Suzy Kolber
WEBB LEADS THE WAY: Arizona Diamondbacks ace Brandon Webb was the honorary pace car driver.
I just read the following note from a story about the NASCAR race held this weekend at PIR in the USA Today abotu Brandon Webb:
WEBB LEADS THE WAY: Arizona Diamondbacks ace Brandon Webb was the honorary pace car driver.
Webb, a NASCAR fan from Kentucky, took a high-speed spin with Kurt Busch on Saturday. “I was strapped in and holding on the whole time,” Webb said.
Webb said he’d have a light foot on Sunday.
“They told me I’m supposed to go 55,” said Webb, who is favored to win his second NL Cy Young Award on Tuesday.
I also read in the AZ Republic that Webb is awaiting the announcement of the NL Cy Young. I find that a little strange as so many people/writers/pundits seem to think Lincecum is going to win it unless Brandon knows something we don’t. Maybe it is just a coincidence that he was here for NASCAR and will cools his heals until Tues.
You stay classy San Diego! article by David Brown on yahoo
The Padres say they’re slashing expenditures, most notably by trying to trade ace Jake Peavy, probably to the Braves or Cubs, and further scorching the Earth by pushing away Hoffman, the indisputable face of the franchise.
And, get this: The Padres informed Hoffman not in person with a one-on-one conversation, or a hand-written note, or even with a phone call
Instead, they sent his reps a fax.
Hells bells, now that’s class.
Wow! I didn’t want to create a fan post since it deals with the Padres, but this piece just left me speechless. Gotta be a mistake, right?
What does a mama bear on the pill have in common with the World Series? No cubs.
by unnamedDBacksfan on Nov 13, 2008 3:25 AM EST reply actions
I sort of feel sorry for Padres fans with the things their ownership is doing this off-season.
"I'm here to advise you on dispensing horror in this modern military climate. I understand you're a demigod, that's fantastic!"
Not even that far....
I went to GLB to see what they thought and i saw that little goodwill message from jbox saying I was banned.
Screw ’em.
What does a mama bear on the pill have in common with the World Series? No cubs.
by unnamedDBacksfan on Nov 13, 2008 9:45 PM EST up reply actions
You can't
even read GLB if you’re logged in? I would say that sucks, but I guess you’re not missing much.
We are gonna get drunk with Adam Dunn and we're gonna head-butt some damn kangaroos.
You can read, including the comments,
but you can’t post.
"If the government's nuclear football ever were to fall into the wrong hands, Chris Horton would be called upon to intercept it on behalf of the Pentagon." -Kissing Suzy Kolber
Oh.....
well, I didn’t know that, but good to know. What I should have said was, “You may read”.
"If the government's nuclear football ever were to fall into the wrong hands, Chris Horton would be called upon to intercept it on behalf of the Pentagon." -Kissing Suzy Kolber
Is that you,
Wes Mantooth?
"If the government's nuclear football ever were to fall into the wrong hands, Chris Horton would be called upon to intercept it on behalf of the Pentagon." -Kissing Suzy Kolber
Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Nope, don’t feel anything. Unfortunately, many mid-level or lower clubs could be feeling the pinch in the next year or so and deal off popular players. Hopefully we won’t be in the situation soon with Brandon Webb.
We are gonna get drunk with Adam Dunn and we're gonna head-butt some damn kangaroos.
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