Jerry Crasnick

  (10:56 AM)

Nice to be here, everybody. Let's talk ball.

nate (maryland)

Is sidney ponson the worst staff 'ace' in baseball? what gives?

Jerry Crasnick

  (10:58 AM)

Nate, People in Baltimore might think so after watching Sidney pitch for the first month. He's better than this, but a big contract doesn't necessarily equte to No. 1 status. Guys like Ponson and Brian Anderson were labeled No. 1s before this season, but Ponson is a 3 or 4 and Anderson is a 4 or 5 on a good staff.

Ehhhhdgarrrrr

Does Edgar Martinez deserve a spot in the Hall of Fame? He just reached 300 HRs and 500 2Bs and will pass Harold Baines as the all-time Homerun leader at DH. Combine those numbers with a +.300 avg and +.400 OBP over his career, and I believe he's in a class with only Ruth, Williams, Hornsby, Gehrig, and Musial. Shouldn't the greatest DH in history be in the Hall? Players like Bill Mazeroski and Ozzie Smith made the hall by being the greatest at their respective positions.

Jerry Crasnick

  (11:00 AM)

Dear Ehhhgarrrr: I admire Edgar tremendously, but I don't think he has the overall body of work to make it to Cooperstown. I think the fact that he started producing at such a late age hurts his cause. He's a not-quite Hall of Famer in my book.

Mike (Milwaukee)

Hi Jerry, This Brewers team is the most exciting team we have had here in 12 years. Lyle Overbay has been unconscious at the plate in the last couple of weeks, Scott Podsednik continues his strong play, and there has been overall great timely hitting with this club. Even though the pitching is suspect, is this team for real? Can I finally get excited about baseball again in Milwaukee?

Jerry Crasnick

  (11:02 AM)

Mike, Mike, Go ahead and get excited, although I don't think the Brewers have the pitching depth to compete over the long haul. Funny -- several baseball people I've talked to have said they tried to trade for Lyle Overbay. Doug Melvin deserves a lot of credit for landing him (not to mention Podsednik). Melvin isn't a self-promoter, but he's a very good baseball guy.

Ben (NYC)

I read yet another article on this site about getting rid or altering the intentional walk. Why all this talk about changing the rules of the game for ONE player. I think the best way to stop the intentional walking of Bonds is not to change the rules but for the Giants to surround Bonds with players who can hit the ball. Wha do you think

Jerry Crasnick

  (11:03 AM)

Ben, I agree. There's just no way you can justify changing a rule to accommodate one player. Even Barry has to slip one of these years.

Peter (Alpharetta, Ga)

Who or What has been the best story in baseball so far this season for you and why? Tigers record, Rangers hitting, or the surprise of the Dodgers success this early in the season?

Jerry Crasnick

  (11:05 AM)

Peter, I like the Dodgers, just because they have the best chance of those teams to actually win their division. And how about that 18-pitch Alex Cora at bat?

Dennis (Newark)

There was a recent article on espn.com that said barry's walks will hurt his chances at .400. If you need to be "lucky" to hit .400, wouldn't it be easier to be "lucky" in less at bats vs. more?

Jerry Crasnick

  (11:07 AM)

Dennis, That's my assumption, that the odds increase the closer you are to the necessary 502 plate appearances -- although I still don't see Barry making a serious run at .400.

Steve (Manalapan)

If they didn't keep track of "saves", would managers use their relief pitchers the same way? Would there even be a position called "closer"? Seems like a case of the tail wagging the dog.

Jerry Crasnick

  (11:09 AM)

Steve, Absolutely correct. I saw the other night that Dontrelle Willis threw a 91-pitch complete game, and I was almost shocked that Jack McKeon didn't bring in Armando Benitez in the ninth. The save is the only stat that basically manufactures how a specific player is used. Not to slight a guy like Eric Gagne, who's immense, but it really is a joke sometimes.

James (Australia)

I don't know if you remember my question about heckling from a few weeks ago. But i took your advice and wound up getting tossed from the game in Pitt. Care to give me a refund?

Jerry Crasnick

  (11:11 AM)

James, If you could afford the plane fare from Sydney to fly to Pittsburgh and heckle Craig Wilson, you can afford the price of the ticket.

PJ (Newark)

Why are all your articles on Insider? I'll give you 50 words to convince me to shell out the bucks for membership.

Jerry Crasnick

  (11:12 AM)

PJ -- I'll do it in 13-: Because I'm a very nice person at heart, and I need the job.

Shen (Jersey City)

Is there ANY chance that MLB and the Spiderman people KNEW there was going to be all this controversy and did it anyway? They got so much attention that it had to work out for both parties.

Jerry Crasnick

  (11:13 AM)

Shen, That's an interesting theory if you subscribe to the notion that bad publicity is better than none, but I just can't buy it.

Jessica (NB)

It seems like every time Biggio leads off an inning with a single, Jimy has Everett bunting. Does he really think that guys like bagwell, kent, and berkman are only going to hit singles to drive Biggio in?

Jerry Crasnick

  (11:14 AM)

Jessica, I don't see enough of the Astros to know what Jimy's managerial tendencies are. But when Roger is pitching, he probably figures one run is enough.

PJ (Newark)

When will people get over their love affair with Darin Erstad. Plain and simply, he adds no value to a team offensively. He has defensive value at CF, but thats about it. Wouldn't you say his injury is a good example of addition by subtraction?

Jerry Crasnick

  (11:17 AM)

PJ I'm starting to come to the same conclusion with Darin Erstad. He's a terrific guy in the clubhouse, he plays extremely hard and the Angels consider him their clubhouse leader. But he's had one phenomenal season, and other than that, his numbers are mediocre (especially at first base). It'll be interesting to see what the Angels do if Casey Kotchman lights it up in his absence.

chris, boston

I love Damon, but his arm is a liability, do you see the Sox possibly getting Carlos Beltran this year, because it seems the Royals will fall out of contention soon?

Jerry Crasnick

  (11:19 AM)

Chris, The Red Sox have so many other prominent free agents they have to address, there's no way I see them getting Beltran.

Butchie (Flushing, NY)

what's your take on the state of the Mets. As a lifelong fan it just strikes me that there's absolutely no direction, from Wilpon on down. How can they possibly leave the decision as how best to rehab an injury to a 20-year old? They trade for Ricky Gutierrez only to designate him for assignment because the guy they really needed (Danny Garcia) was already in the farm system. What gives?

Jerry Crasnick

  (11:21 AM)

Butchie, Hey, the Mets are only 4 1/2 out! They've certainly made their share of bad moves, and you have to wonder about the handling of the Reyes situation. The biggest problem there is, they're so old. All their best players are approaching my age.

Brian (New York)

Hey Jerry! What did you think of Derek Fisher's game winning shot last night?!

Jerry Crasnick

  (11:22 AM)

Brian, I think the NBA is a great cure for sleeplessness. There was more action in the final second of that game than in the other 47 minutes, 59 seconds combined.

Steve, NH

Do you think that the Florida Marlins need and/or are going to trade Mike Lowell and bring Miguel Cabrera back to 3B? He seems to be struggling in RF. Or do we just need to give him more time there? Any possibility of trading Alex Gonzalez and putting Cabrera at SS?

Jerry Crasnick

  (11:25 AM)

Steve, The Marlins just signed Mike Lowell to a four-year contract and they're leading their division, so he's not going anywhere. Problem is, Cabrera, to me, is probably best at third base. He does look shaky in right field at times. But the good news is, he never takes it to the plate.

Maria (Caldwell)

Who is this craig wilson guy? Where did he come from and why is he just mashing this year?

Jerry Crasnick

  (11:27 AM)

Maria, Craig Wilson is just a no-frills guy who can hit. I've never understood why the Pirates seem hesitant to throw him out there for 500-600 at-bats. Now they're doing it in part because they have no choice. But you're right -- he can mash (not to mention the fact that he has great hair)

Pete (Colorado Springs)

Do you like the idea of Colorado going back to the old 4-man rotatation? Do you think they need to "think outside the box" even more...perhaps a whole staff of 1-2 inning pitchers to cope with Coors Field?

Jerry Crasnick

  (11:30 AM)

Pete, I don't really care for it. I think it wears guys out mentally to go out there once every five days, much less four. In my previous tenure as a Denver Post sportswriter, I watched a guy like Armando Reynoso pitch well there because he was tough mentally and didn't care about having a 5.00 ERA. But that place will just kill you in the long run.

Scott AR

Do you think the yankees will ever go bankrupt ? Wounldn't that be great if they did!!!

Jerry Crasnick

  (11:31 AM)

Scott, John Henry and Larry Lucchino probably wouldn't mind. But I wouldn't count on it.

Steve, NH

Do you think Roger Clemens will go undefeated this year? Okay, seriously, is this gonna be another Cy Young year for him?

Jerry Crasnick

  (11:32 AM)

Steve, I think we're all starting to run out of adjectives for Clemens. But he'll have to go in a serious funk not to win Cy Young Award No. 7.

Brian (Norwich)

Re: Carlos Delgado. I realize the Royals may have to trade him if they can't pay him, and pray for good prospects in return. On the other hand, some of the teams mentioned as possible Delgado destinations -- like the Yankees -- have rather poor prospects to offer, and other teams that have been forced to trade stars, like the Pirates last year, were in financial difficulties that forced them to accept substantially less than the value of the players traded. This is a long-winded way of asking: Would it be more economical in the long run for the Royals to pay Delgado?

James (Australia)

Did you catch the expos game where they had a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the 8th, and still let livan hit with the bases loaded? Seems like the perfect time for a pinch hitter

Jerry Crasnick

  (11:34 AM)

James, Have you ever seen Livan Hernandez hit? He's probably better than anything Frank Robinson had on the bench.

James (Kennesaw, Ga)

With Mauer and Crosby not doing to well in the American League as of yet, who do you believe is the best candidate for AL Rookie of the Year

Jerry Crasnick

  (11:37 AM)

Lew Ford of the Twins is certainly looking like a strong candidate right now -- although I'm sure I'm missing somebody

nick

whats the deal with the A's? chavez stinks right now and it looks like their offense is garbage if you pitch around chavez. he's on pace for a career high in walks

Jerry Crasnick

  (11:39 AM)

Nick, Now that Jermaine Dye is tailing off, teams don't have a whole lot of reason to pitch to Chavez. Even though he's a fine player, he's always struggled against lefties. People knew pitching was going to carry this team, and the pitching hasn't been as good as we're accustomed to from Oakland.

Garrett (Tucson)

With Joe Borowski throwing around 83 MPH, how long until LaTroy Hawkins becomes full-time closer for the Cubbies? Was yesterday a sign?

Jerry Crasnick

  (11:40 AM)

Garrett, I'd say yesterday was definitely a sign. The Cubs were concerned about Borowski, and he's done nothing to allay those fears. This is why they signed Hawkins over the winter.

Adam (Redbank)

what's the cause of Glavine becoming dominant again? I pegged him as a washed "good" player who benefited from getting extra calls on the corner b/c of reputation.

Jerry Crasnick

  (11:42 AM)

Adam, I suspect Glavine struggled in New York last year because the defense was horrendous, and it probably took him a while to adjust to a new team. If this season doesn't prove he's a Hall of Famer, nothing will.

scott (baltimore MD_

Do the O's have any shot at making a move for a batter like carlos beltran or are they going to focus solely on their biggest flaw, starting pitching?

Jerry Crasnick

  (11:43 AM)

Scott, I think they're better served going for the pitching. Beltran is a tough call as a two-month rental. Number one, the Royals are going to want a ton of young talent in return. And two, he's going to hit the open market and want a ton of money

Jerry Crasnick

  (11:44 AM)

Thanks for the emails, everyone. Sorry I have to run. Let's do it again next week.