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Losing Glavine was addition by subtraction?

iramets Dec 04 2007 06:38 PM

Seems to be what Omar's trying to spin [url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/baseball/mlb/12/04/bc.bbn.mets.minaya.ap/index.html]here[/url]. Now, I agree that Glavine totally blows dead babies, that he was a useless piece of crap for ages before this past October, and that Willets would be correct in his assessment of Glavine's value except that he's been far too gentle and understated on the subject, but Omar seems to be exceeding even my rather strong feelings on Mr. Glavine when he says ]"We don't feel like we have to do a deal for a pitcher." Now if you've got Glavine, and then you lose Glavine, and are not going to deal for a pitcher, then I believe your position is that the pitchers who couldn't break into your rotation last season (when, as Omar may have noticed, his team fell short of the playoffs) were better than Glavine. Or that the pitchers who will wander into your Spring Training camp wearing signs around their neck "Will Pitch For Food" are Goavine's superiors.

smg58 Dec 04 2007 06:48 PM

If you think that whatever Pedro gives you this year will be better than what Glavine gave you last year, and you think Pelfrey will improve, then you don't need an elite starter at an absurdly high cost. You will still need a sixth starter who won't kill you when called upon, along with a much, much deeper bullpen.

attgig Dec 05 2007 02:56 PM

glavine was 200 innnings. pedro isn't giving you 200 innings. will pedro + a bullpen that gets worn out because they have to pitch more > glavine? I'm not so sure. You REALLY have to be banking on pelfrey/humber to prove themselves to become better than glavine. I don't think that's happening either. as much as i hated glavine... he's a solid vet that's pretty dependable.

Kid Carsey Dec 05 2007 03:19 PM

Trying to spin what Omar says as spin is Internet Horsehockey 101. What's he supposed to say? "oh, losing Glavine was huge ... I had vapors for three days when I heard" "yeah, we're hungry now for a front line starter -- we'll do anything it takes" "my ass is grass if we don't replace Glavine" I mean we could come up with thirty things, but the guy has a job to do and divulging as little info about what he REALLY thinks is part of that job even if it means saying things that aren't true to microphone and pencil holders.

iramets Dec 06 2007 02:37 AM

You'll need to distinguish the category of " spin," which you claim is Internet Horsehockey 101, from the category of "saying things that aren't true to microphone and pencil holders"--is that Internet Horsehockey 102? I didn't realize there was a difference. If there is a completely separate course, could you sign me into that class, please? I want to be a big league GM, and I need several courses in Horsehockey to graduate. Here's what a GM without a mouthful of horsehockey might say: "You kidding, man? Course we need pitching. Well, every team could use pitching, can't ever have enough, but we especially could use another front-line starter, unless we get real lucky and we go with a kid like Pelfrey or Humber in that fifth spot and he turns in a spectacular year, plus all four of our returning rotation guys have great years and stay healthy. I'm trying very hard to work out a deal that will land us a good veteran starter--not that I'm going to make a bad deal ever, but, shit, yeah, we need to fill that gap, and I'm sure we're going to need another starter sooner rather than later, the way we've been suffering injuries to our front-line starters the past few years." "No, no, that's ok, it's not a stupid question, it's just that the answer is obviously Yes. What, am I going to lie to your face and pretend I'm not interested in a starting pitcher? What kind of shit-faced idiot do you think I am, anyway? No, don't answer that, that was rhetorical. Uh, R-h-e-t...."

Kid Carsey Dec 06 2007 07:29 AM

103: "You know, I don't talk English that good and people make fun of me on the internet. I have to chuz my words or they get said on the radio and the chat rooms in different words. You know what I'm sayin'?" "There's a posting on these chat room that say I'm adding by subtracting and spinning and I say I drive a bigger car and bang prettier women than they do. Yyou know what I'm sayin'?"

iramets Dec 06 2007 07:32 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Dec 06 2007 08:01 AM

No. I'm clueless. BTW, did anyone hear Leyland on Mike and Mike this morning, being brutally honest about such questions as "What was it like the year the Marlins dumped their World Series team and left with a roster of retreads and minor leaguers?" (Leyland: "That was a miserable year, though I had fun introducing some younger players to the big leagues...") and "Is the Detroit system now stripped of prospects?" (Leyland: "Well, we still have a few good prospects, but basically , yeah, this was a big hit to our minor league system.") I mean, what does he give away by telling the truth as he sees it? If he bald-faced lies and lies and lies and spins and lies and spins and tosses off a few whoppers like Omar does to every question, what do you think? The other GMs are going to go, "Oh, I thought Omar needs pitching and I could fob off a few weak arms on the poor desperate asshole, but now that's he's said the Mets are deep, deep, deep in the rotation, I'll have to find me a Plan B, because Omar certainly didn't sound at all desperate or spinning or mumbling, or like he's an empty-headed moron or anything, no sir, the moron must be me for having thought the wrong thoughts I was thinking..."? If I and you and the most naive GM in the universe and every bedwetting 4th grader understands that Omar's full of doody when he spins a simple question like "Are you trying to land a starting pitcher?" like that, how do you the suppose the smarter GMs are interpreting his answer? Can you name me someone you think he's fooling?

smg58 Dec 06 2007 07:52 AM

The price we paid for 200 innings of Glavine was that he was worse than useless in his last three starts, when the team needed him most. Innings aren't that valuable if the guy's pitching poorly. Sosa may have shown signs of wear, but Mota, Schoeneweis, and Sele weren't so much overworked as they were awful. Making the back of the bullpen simply competent would actually be a significant improvement, and another reliever comparable to/superior than Heilman would help enormously. Now you have to work under the assumption that Pedro and El Duque don't have 30 starts in them, so finding an extra starter is imperative. He doesn't have to be Santana/Haren/Bedard/Blanton if the price is wrong, but a guy who's a clear upgrade over Park/Williams/Lawrence shouldn't be that hard to get.