Dave Saltzer

Happy Fourth everyone. Like so many, I'm proud to be an American everyday, but especially today!

If you are going to the game tonight, be sure to stop by, visit Rob and get a copy of this book. You will thank me for the recommendation and thank him for writing such an excellent piece.

This is why I am so happy to have Joe writing articles for our site. Great story, great writing, great job Joe!

Earlier in the season, I met a scout who was part of the package we traded to get Rod Carew. Later in the game, I ran into Rod Carew in the stadium (whom I already knew). What are the odds you'd talk with two people traded for each other within 2 innings of baseball?

Thanks all for the compliments, but my money would be on Geoff, Bruce, Eric and Nick as being far more under-appreciated than me. Those guys do a lot of the heavy lifting behind the scenes, and I'm lucky to have their support. It takes everyone on AW to make this site truly a special place.

Lol. The pop up ad at the top of the screen is for a patent and Trademark legal group.

I want to be clear that I am not calling anyone racist. I'm not even saying the owner or the fans change the name. I'm just saying that the government does not have an interest in protecting racially offensive trademarks.

What no one is really talking about is the most offensive part of the team . . . the fact that so much wealth has grown around Washington DC to make the Redskins one of the most valuable and lucrative sports franchises. Now that is offensive!

I find it hard to believe that no one else has an opinion on this issue.

Where?

More from one of the contacts at Louisville Slugger: Thanks for sending the link to your piece. Well done! I will share with others here as well as our contacts with MLB in NY.

I'm excited to start seeing what the guys in Orem can do. There's going to be some talent on that team! Thanks for the writeup.

I am aware that Tony Gwynn used a white ash bat (if I recall one of the smallest ones ever used). That doesn't mean that the Tony Gwynn finish isn't how I described it. To be sure, earlier today I contacted two sources at Louisville Slugger. Here are their responses: Thanks for your email. Yes, the Gwynn finish is a black barrel and natural handle, just as was asked. This was named in his honor, of course. Could you send me the link to the story when you're done? Hi Dave, you are correct. The black barrel, natural handle Louisville Slugger is the Gwynn finish. Very popular. He was a loyal Louisville Slugger guy and truly one of the great human beings in the game. It is a very sad day. I very much agree with the second person that it was a very sad day for all of baseball. So, there you have it. Gwynn used one finish, and in his honor, they named the two-toned finish in his honor. He transcended the game and was given an honor few will ever get. He will be missed.

Good luck with that! I am a big believer in making something productive to honor someone. That's a great way to do it. Let us know how it goes.

Didn't see it and just heard the news and didn't see the other thread. This one is a big shock to me. Please delete this thread.

Wow! This is a shocker. Baseball seems to be losing a lot of its greats this year. I remember watching him play and hit, just such a beautiful thing to watch. RIP Tony Gwynn. Thanks for the memories. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2098741-baseball-hall-of-famer-tony-gwynn-passes-away-at-age-54?utm_source=cnn.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=editorial&hpt=hp_t1

I look at them every day and appreciate them very much. Thanks for all the work! I'll look forward to your return.

A draft that is not very deep is by definition weak. But if you want to argue semantics, technically yes, it wasn't very deep at all. As for Biddle, sorry, was thinking Beede from 2011. My mistake.

Harper--1st overall pick. No shot at him. Taillon--2nd overall pick. No shot at him. Machado--3rd overall pick. No shot at him. Colon--4th overall pick. No shot at him and 25 years old in AAA. Pomeranz--5th overall pick. No shot at him. Loux--6th overall pick. No shot at him and not playing. Harvey--7th overall pick. No shot at him. DeShields--8th overall pick. No shot at him. Whitson--9th overall pick. No shot at him and unsigned. Drafted 11th round this year--indicates a big drop in performance. Choice--10th overall pick. No shot at him. McGuire--11th overall pick. No shot at him and 25 years old in AAA. Grandal--12th overall pick. No shot at him. Sale--13th overall pick. No shot at him. Covey--14th overall pick. No shot at him and still in low-A. Skole--15th overall pick. No shot at him and still in AA. Simpson--16th overall pick. No shot at him and in Independent Ball. Sale--17th overall pick. No shot at him. If you are going to argue, at least use people we had a shot at. So, if you are going to criticize the draft pickings, you have 12 picks out of 64 between when the Angels picked at the end of the 2nd round one of whom turned down 1st round money to go to college (Biddle). That leaves you 11/64 successes and 53 out of 64 failures. And, that's ignoring what the Angels got from that draft--Bedrosian who has the stuff to be a future closer or 8th inning guy, Lindsey who is 22 in AAA on a bad team with no lineup protection or pitching (making it easier to pitch around him), and Cowart who is still in development (I am ready to give up on Bolden). Are you going to tell me that the other teams who picked the 53 other players after the Angels all did better? It was a weak draft. Talk to any professional scout and he will tell you the same.

tdawg87: Saying it's a very large reason while ignoring the much larger effects on the rankings from the lack of a 1st round pick for 2 years, the effects of picking low in the draft for many years because the ML team did well, and the effects of the talent traded away for ML talent means that this person thinks that it is the reason why the rankings are so low. I've said what I've said what I think of the national rankings (don't agree that we are dead last, but aren't far from it). Many of the national ranking publications get caught up a lot more in the ranking of the picks in the organization than other factors. 2010 was a bad class. Lots of prospects failed. Lots of teams did not do well that year. It was the WRONG year to have 5 picks between the 1st and 1st supplemental round. But to even say it was a major reason why the farm is ranked last is fallacious. It was a chance to restock the farm in ways to improve the rankings that didn't work out. But, it didn't cause the shortcomings with the farm system. It's like saying a team lost a game 6-3 because they didn't hit a grand slam with bases loaded. The failure to hit the grand slam isn't why they lost the game--the game was lost when they gave up the 6 runs. Of all the prospects that year that we didn't take, the one I was most frustrated by was Walker. At the time I remember saying that I wanted to draft him and was confused by Clarke and Bolden over him.

Some of you are ridiculously harsh. That draft is not THE reason why our system is ranked poorly. Not having a 1st round pick for 2 years in a row, winning at the ML level resulting in lower overall picks in every round, and the trades that we made had a much bigger impact on our rankings by national publications. Going into the 2010 draft, everyone said it was a weak class. And, with hindsight, it has proven to be a weak class. That was NOT the year to have 5 picks between the 1st and 1st Supplemental round. Lots of teams had their first few picks go bust that year. But to blame all of our farm system's issues on that is just fallacious.

I appreciate the organizational update and report. Thanks!

Thanks for the update.

It doesn't do "damage" to the hitters. It means that fans need to understand the effects the park has on the prospects playing there. Big difference.

Good call. Who do we root for?