SportsNation Blog Archives
Matt Cain
With nary a dramatic pennant race in sight, baseball fans have to find some way to kill time until the postseason. Buster Olney mused about Prince Fielder landing with the Red Sox in Monday's blog, but after some time to think about it, he came up with another potential fit for Fielder before his chat with SportsNation.
Liam (Pleasanton, California)
Do you think Cain straight up would be enough for Fielder?
Buster Olney
Liam: To repeat, this all pure speculation, and based on nothing other than seeing how parts might fit. My guess is that the Giants would have to kick in a little something extra into a Fielder/Cain deal. What makes the Cain/Fielder think intriguing is that Cain has an unbelievably affordable contract for 2010 and a great and affordable option for 2011 -- over the next two years, he is signed to earn a total of $10 million. Fielder, alone, will make $10 million next year, and could make $15-18 million in arbitration in 2011. The Giants would get the slugger they need for their lineup, a perfect guy for their franchise, and the Brewers would get an elite pitcher with a great contract; Cain and Gallardo could be the backbone of a strong rotation. And the Brewers could try Gamel at first base. Again, to repeat: ALL SPECULATION.
Rich (NYC)
Wait- why would the Giants have to kick in something extra if Cain is so much more affordable?
Buster Olney
Rich: I ran this by a couple of talent evaluators today about all this, and they agreed with my thought that Fielder might have a touch more value as a player than Cain. Again, we're not talking about a huge difference, where the Brewers would demand Buster Posey or something like that. Full transcript
Back when the season began, voters ranked the Colorado Rockies No. 22 in SportsNation's Power Rankings. Which seems like a bit of a bucket of cold water on the whole "hope springs eternal" thing until you consider they ranked the Giants No. 28, ahead of only the Astros and Nationals. If divisions were restuarants, the NL West was the one that wouldn't survive the next visit from the health inspector.
So maybe it's understandable that despite waking up Friday morning with the Giants and Rockies atop the wild-card standings in the National League, the 'Nation as a whole, and especially the parts to the right side of the Rocky Mountains, remains skeptical that the West will produce two playoff teams.
Then again, when you've got the two best pitchers in the National League through the first half of the season, maybe optimism is lurking like the fog rolling in off the Bay.
- Half of the country -- the half not in the middle -- likes Dodgers for World Series.
- And while far from unanimous, most think the Dodgers can count on Manny.
- More midseason reviews: AL East | AL Central | AL West | NL Central | NL East
- Groups: Dodgers Fan Club | Padres | Brandon Webb Fans
“[Mark Reynolds]? you wanna lead? catch the ball when it is thrown to you..on the fly...by an infielder....and hits you in the chest (or more exact - the glove). you wanna lead? dont strikeout a zillion times. sure you hit some bombs but id rather have you with 10-12 hrs and getting hits with runners in scoring position more rather than waving at the ball as it goes by. you wanna lead? try not being a dolt on the basepaths....10 year olds run the bases better than you most times.
” -- droppin bombs
“For all you rockies fan and people that have jumped on thier bandwagon I would remind you all your still in 3rd place. Doesnt matter how good the rockies are if they can't beat the dodgers they are not going anywhere. So just settle down there kiddies!
” -- michaeldavies0
“What I do like is the fact that Manny and Juan are platooning in left field, now that makes sense to keep both of them happy while playing, hitting & contributing to another divisional title, this year with consistent hitting and good pitching the Dodgers might make it to the World Series.... time will tell... Thinking positive without a cocky attitude will afford many wins and good karma.
” -- tmohr48
“Earlier in the year, I thought I recall reading that the plan with Evereth [Cabrera] was to have him come up and get some experience, protect him , then have him go to A or AA next year. Is there any remote chance that this guy will ever see another day in the minor leagues anytime soon? He is one reason to have hope for the near future. If we can get some value for Peavy, Kouz, et al, we should be in decent shape within 2 or 3 years...
” -- claykirby1969
“Tim Lincecum is the best pitcher on the face of the Earth
” -- vikg43
We salute NFL commissioner Roger Goodell for summiting Mount Rainier, although running a league that includes the Bengals does give him at least a little experience with things that tend to erupt and leave a swath of destruction in their wake. But as the MLB All-Star Game approaches, Goodell's trip takes second place to the high-altitude exploits of Rockies pitcher Jason Marquis.
Passing the still-frozen bodies of Mike Hampton and Denny Neagle (proverbially speaking, of course) on his way to the summit, Marquis is a legitimate Cy Young contender with 11 wins. We get that the humidor makes Coors Field slightly less ominous than the setting for the next "Saw" for pitchers these days, but there's still not exactly a line forming to go face batters a mile above sea level.
- Continuing the self-proclaimed third annual "Half-way Awards," blogger whitstatman hands out hardware in the NL, where a familiar (baby) face loses out to a teammate in the Cy Young race and the Mets ... stink.
- SN midseason awards: Rank AL MVP contenders | Rank AL Cy Young contenders
- Groups: ROCKIES ROCK!! | The Arizona Diamondbacks | National league
“Vazquez is, and has been, an over-rated bum his whole career. Can't win with run support, can't win without it. There's a reason why his career numbers hover around .500, and its nothing to do with the rest of any team he's been on.
” -- JeffSigmaChi
“Start Tim Lincecum for the NL. The man is a serious freak of nature and an amazing picture. Just ask the last 3 teams he has pitched against.
” -- jaws2355
Sometimes we all need a little extra space to vent. ESPN profiles give fans space to post their own blog entries and go toe-to-toe with commenters.
- Fireballr7: Saying it's too early to praise or condemn MLB players for play thus far, this blogger proceeds to do the former for some early success stories.
- chargerdom21: In arguably the longest blog in SportsNation history, the case is laid out, in extended detail, for what to expect from Chris Johnson, Steve Slaton and Matt Forte in fantasy football this season.
- ghostcasino: Some saw Shaq's NBA Finals tweeting as sarcasm; this blogger think it an olive branch to pave the way for a Hollywood comeback.
- Dozaone00: Finally able to spend some quality work time blogging again (let freedom reign!), a Jets fan breaks down what may happen with Sanchez and without Favre.
- PADR321: And the honeymoon is over. Offering a Philadelphia perspective so perfect you have to wonder if it's satire, a Phillies fan says it's time to forget the World Series title and get back to booing the bums.
- 3-indagame: Even Ron Zook had a longer grace period than this. At least one Broncos fan is already calling for Josh McDaniels to be fired.
- Robert Flores: The SportsCenter anchor is officially on the soccer bandwagon, which is why he's calling US Soccer "doughy soft" after the debacle against Brazil.
- More blogs: Check out all the SportsNation blogs.
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