Mainstream Media

People’s Voice: Bonds polarizes –

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Dan Wetzel – MLB – Yahoo! Sports

I’ve written a few times about the ridiculous screeds of Dan Wetzel, but held off (for the most part) after he wrote an article about how Bonds breaking the record was “Hollow, not hallowed.” (He’s the guy who used the degree by which Bonds broke Maris’s record as proof that he was juiced.)

What’s interesting is that he comes off as a much more sensible, thoughtful and serious guy responding to people’s criticisms of that piece. He actually acknowledges all the gray areas he ignores when he puts down a column, and is clearer about what is known, not known, and why that matters.

Good for him.

Matt Berry Rocks!

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Trade No. 3: Carl Crawford for Juan PierreOne gets tons of love and one gets no respect, but over the second half of the year, Juan Pierre is going to be the better fantasy player. I’m sorry. Continue to be the better fantasy player. You saw me mention Pierre briefly in last week’s newsletter but let’s put those numbers into even more of a perspective.

From June 1 through July 22:

Juan Pierre: 27 R, 24 SB, 0 HR, 12 RBI, .335 average
Carl Crawford: 32 R, 19 SB, 1 HR, 23 RBI, .278 average

The power is better for Crawford, but it’s not significant in the grand scheme of things and that’s not why you have either guy. Otherwise, they are basically the same, with Pierre hitting over 50 points higher. You could get Pierre plus something else for your Carl Crawford and not suffer any drop-off at all. Again, we play with numbers, not names.

The  words above are Matt Berry’s. Matt is a friend of mine. He was an annual contributor to the Guide until some scum sucking international conglomerate with the face of Mickey Mouse bought him off. Good for him. Weezil.

Or is that weasel?

The point here is that in his weekly newsletter to ESPN fantasy players he actually suggests taking Juan Pierre over Carl Crawford for the last two months of the season. And he does this without mentioning that Crawford is hurt.

But nobody knows how hurt Crawford is. He won the Devil Rays game today with a homer. His MRI was good enough. If Crawford misses significant time in the last two months because of injury then Pierre is certainly the better choice. And that could happen.

But when we’re considering names versus stats, Crawford is a star, Pierre is a role player. Unless you know something, the right answer is go with the star.

PS. Matt’s other example, going for Brandon Phillips over Derek Jeter, is similar. But closer. Phillips is a potential star aborning, so casting aside Jeter isn’t ridiculous, though it may not work out. For now, Phillips is the hot hand, Jeter the very steady one.

Depending on your situation, you can decide.

Take a stand on Dukes

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Yahoo! Sports

Jeff Passan, as always, is much more interesting on the Elijah Dukes case than the headline suggests. There’s no reporter doing a better job of getting at the game, I don’t think.

As for Dukes, who is playing in the big leagues now because they wouldn’t have him back in Triple-A, it is a judgment call when to release him for his offenses. But it can’t be the right message to let him play after he sent those message to his estranged wife.

The Jock Exchange

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Michael Lewis on ProTrade

I wrote about ProTrade a couple of months ago, or you would probably better say that I linked to it. I was impressed by the software and the user experience, but to tell the truth I haven’t been back.

Michael Lewis’s story in the premiere issue of the new Conde Nast business magazine about ProTrade suffers from some boosterism, but you can also call that enthusiasm and conclude that he’s right. The future in sports projecting will be culling increasingly sophisticated information from the crowds. ProTrade didn’t invent this business, by a longshot, but they’re very nicely positioned to take advantage of it.

I haven’t been back to ProTrade after my initial foray. But Lewis’s description of all the funny money, the emotional backing, that a sports exchange will draw into its market,  is provocative.

The only problem is that a whole lot of die hard financial folks also happen to be sports fans, too. So what happens when Merril Lynch starts a Football Trading division?

As Season Approaches, Some Topics Should Be Off Limits

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New York Times

I can’t believe that once or twice I’ve actually defended Murray Chass. I started reading this story in the paper and nodded off before I got to the Bernie Williams rant of obviousness, thereby missing the explosive display of no-nothingism spewed about sabermetric investigation at the end. Such willful ignorance on the part of a reporter (though Seth Mnookin has ably disputed the validity of that label as regards Chass) should be grounds for dismissal.

Unless he’s just trying to be funny, in which case someone should hit the big gong.