Mark68

A Nathan's hot dog and a deep dish pizza.

Don't worry. We'll get ourselves another former Rockies catcher. I wonder if they'll take less than Chatwood for him? http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/03/17/multiple-teams-interested-in-trading-for-ramon-hernandez/

The Clone Mathis.

So what you're saying is...he's a baller?

For a catcher, Conger makes a great DH. Unfortunately, there are about a billion DHs on the roster.

Does a bad start on a hot day in Phoenix in spring training bother me? No. Does a bad start on a hot, humid day in Arlington in July bother me? Absolutely. I'd prefer the former to the latter. So if the former means that, finally, the latter doesn't happen, then I hope he gives up all the bombs in the world in the Valley of the Sun.

Did you get that off funnyordie.com? Cuz it can't actually be Topps... Or maybe they're running a new campaign..."Buy this Vernon Wells card with game-worn gear and we'll throw in this Mike Trout rookie card for free!" And a set of Ginsu knives.

Trumbo will never have limited power. That's the ONE thing he has in abundance. This statement alone shows how little credibility you have.

Or....might have absolutely zero...

Wasn't there somebody (I want to say Karim Garcia) who had to sit out a couple games due to excessive tanning?

Vernon is an intangible blessing.

I hear the Yankees have a dire need for catchers.

Kendrick is what he is. Better than most second basemen in MLB. I guess we just have to realize that the batting title is not going to happen, but he does what we should expect him to do. Is his prowess for hitting into the pitchers' best friend frustrating? Absolutely. But he plays the defense well, and he provides enough at the plate to remind us all of the potential that was foisted upon him, rightly or wrongly. He does what we need him to do, and no team has (or can afford) perennial All-Stars at every position.

Ladies and gentlemen, your 2013 AL Batting Champ: Howard Kendrick.

Michael?

Look, based on the wikipedia page (which, of course, could have been written by Hanson or his agent), if his four-seamer normally sits at 89-92, he's pretty much where it needs to be. Since his slider is the two-strike pitch to righties and his curve causes the highest whiff rate, as long as there is decent separation between his fastball, slider, and curve, he'll be fine.

Despite Jerome's tightrope act the last two innings.

I will grant you Italy. 75% of their roster consists of Italian-Americans. I think you have to be two generations removed to qualify (your grandparents had to be born in the Old Country), but since most of the Netherlands roster consists of players from places that do have a bit of baseball history (Curacao and other parts of the Netherlands Antilles), they may not be watching in the Netherlands, but all 5 TVs in Curacao will be tuned to this. Having watched most of the games on TV, it seems like the main issue that GMs have is the timing. There are some that would want the WBC played over an extended All-Star Break, but I'm not sure that would be any better. There would be the same chance for freak injuries, which would be more devastating to teams in the pennant race. At least, if most injuries happen now, that player would still be able to play most of the year.

I guess it's the worst thing then...

The lineup did its part...at the plate anyway...

I don't often agree with Lifetime... ...But he is spot on with this analysis.

Maybe we can coax Finley & Percival out of retirement. They'd probably still be better than some of these scrubs.

Depth ain't all it's cracked up to be. At least (most) of the starting pitchers are doing ok...

The Olympics are the same. It's all because the PRC still claims Taiwan, and since we (and the rest of the world) have to play nice with the Chinese, we have to let them "claim" Taiwan. It's been that way since Nixon went to China, and we established diplomatic relations (and coincidentally, kicked Taiwan out of the UN Security Council in favor of the PRC). This is a compromise that works for the Chinese, but not for the Taiwanese. When you have 1.35 billion people (and a large military and economy), you pretty much get to have more of a say in international relations (and sports) than if you have 23 million people.

In the last few years, Joe Schmoe HAS been getting less of a raise than the best comps used to get. Sometimes, Joe Schmoe has not gotten a raise at all, and has seen his actual purchasing power decline. Fact. But when talking about ballplayers, recent trends have seen players get their first big fat contracts when they've gotten closer to arbitration eligibility (usually within a year of their first arbitration hearing). THAT'S when Trout will be rewarded for being what he is. Coincidentally, that will also be at the end of Vernon's contract. Trout will be compensated handsomely, and it will be the Angels who do so.