Hot Stove Part Duex

And now, another edition of 'round the diamond' with daniel sleezer:

The Hot Stove Part II: Earlier this week, Kenny Williams made the second big move off the offseason when he shipped Javier "Five and Dive" Vazquez to the Atlanta Braves, along with Boone Logan and the late-inning migraines he gave Sox fans. In return, the Sox received 4 prospects: Catcher Tyler Flowers, Shortstop Brent Lillibridge, 3rd baseman Jon Gilmore, and lefty pitcher Santos Rodriguez. Additionally, they shaved $23 million off the payroll for the next two seasons. Unlike the Swisher trade, this one is a little easier to swallow because the Sox got some real prospects out of the deal.

Flowers is a powerful bat who hit 12 homers in the Arizona Fall League, and gives the Sox a solid right-handed hitting catcher to potentially back up AJ Pierzynski. He has a good arm (threw out 28% of his baserunners last year in the minors) but his defense has been described as average to below average, depending on the sources. To me, it projects as he'll break in to the bigs as a catcher, but unless his defense improves he'll be more useful in a first base or DH capacity. That said, look for him to spend the whole 2009 season in the minors, along with Gilmore and Rodriguez (who spent last season in the rookie league.)

So out of these 4 prospects, it seems that Lillibridge will be the only one competing for a roster spot next season, but I'm puzzled as to where. The Sox have a log-jam at the infield spots: Josh Fields, Alexei Ramirez, and Chris Getz figure to be the starting 3B-SS-2B combo at this time, with Wilson Betemit next in line at third and Jayson Nix in line at second. Lillibridge has a good glove, but hasn't shown promise at the plate (.294 OBP in Triple-A last year, and a 3:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio) so it looks like if he makes the roster, it will be for a utility spot. Further complicating the issue is the White Sox signing of Dayan Viciedo, a 19-yr old Cuban slugger who projects as a 3rd baseman if he can keep his weight down (think Miguel Cabrera.)

I'm not sure what to make of this trade, as the Sox didn't improve one bit for 2009, save for freeing up the $11 mil due to Javy next year. Furthermore, with the economy the way it is, there are whispers that the money freed up from the Swisher trade combined with this one won't be going to a major free agent acquisition, but rather represents a general tightening of the purse-strings. On the other hand, what the Sox did lose was a starting pitcher that could be counted on to eat up 200 innings every year, and strike out 170 batters or more. Though Javy could be maddening in his inconsistency and his desire to throw every one of his 5 pitches to every batter, at the end of the day he was a workhorse 5th starter on a team that needed him to be a 4th or 3rd starter. I hope the move back to the National League helps him.

Moving forward, the Sox still have some glaring holes to address. With Jose Contreras returning mid-2009 at the soonest, they have to fill holes at the 4th and 5th starter position. Not only that, they need another outfielder, and with more and more rumors swirling around Jermaine Dye, maybe two outfielders. If Dye stays, and the Sox don't acquire anyone else, the Opening Day centerfielder next year would be Brian Anderson or Jerry Owens. There are two problems there: it seems that Anderson has worn out his chance to be a regular starter, and the only thing Jerry Owens would give you is that the Sox can run a promotion I like to call "See if your girlfriend can hit the ball further than the White Sox centerfielder" Night. Yikes.

Good work Mr. Sleez

Brian Williams is a Stud

http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1370868150/bctid3938052001

Funny, but true.

The Hot Stove

In spite of the fact that the two best commentaries on this blog have come from outside my realm, I approve of this post.

…a White Sox offseason primer by Dan Sleezer

Kenny Williams made the first big offseason move yesterday for the Southsiders, trading popular yet recently unproductive outfielder/first baseman Nick Swisher to the New York Yankees for infielder Wilson Betemit and minor-league arms Jeff Marquez and Jhonny (not a typo) Nunez. This comes as a bit of a surprise as it was widely speculated the Jermaine Dye would be moved and Swisher would be starting in right next year, as Dye commands significantly higher trade value and Williams doesn’t typically ‘sell low’ on players like this.

Kenny seems to love making moves that leave fans scratching their heads in confusion, but many tend to actually turn out in his favor (see Quentin, Carlos.) However, this one is a little too much for me to fathom. His career numbers are vastly better than this past season (what we call an outlier in statistics) and his plate discipline is still excellent. Furthermore, he’s only 27 (which seems desirable for a team trying to undergo a youth movement) and his 5 year, $26 million contract is below market value. There’s no downside to retaining him for at least another year, since he couldn’t possibly play any worse. And I’m struggling to see the upside. At just over $5 million a year, the Sox aren’t clearing up that much room in the payroll department, and the players coming to Chicago are uninspiring at best. If you haven’t heard of Wilson Betemit before this, (and you probably haven’t because he was playing behind A-Rod at 3^rd, Robinson Cano at 2^nd, and Giambi at 1^st) I can draw a very simple comparison: he’s Juan ‘Burrito Supreme’ Uribe, without a glove. He’s an unathletic utility infielder with a career .240 average and poor plate discipline (.286 OBP!), and to sweeten the pot, he can’t sling an ounce of leather either.

Now for the other guys: Jeff Marquez has spent 5 seasons in the Yankees’ farm system, and is currently rated number 14 in their top 20 prospects. The long and short on Marquez is a lack of strikeout stuff but average to above average sink. Except for when he doesn’t sink it (12 homers in 81 innings with Scranton last season.) Think Nick Masset, the guy who spent the better part of the last two seasons warming a seat in the bullpen and was subsequently used to acquire a certain 37 year old centerfielder who had zero range and a penchant for hitting scorching singles to right field. Apparently hearing the words ‘Sinker’ and ‘U.S. Cellular Field’ is enough to make Kenny ruin his shorts. As far as the last guy, well, he’s not on New York’s top 20 prospects list, and he can’t even spell his first name right, so fuck him.

We all jumped to conclusions about Quentin and Alexei Ramirez last offseason, so I’m hoping Kenny will prove us wrong again. But I just can’t see it happening. Even more depressing is a look at the transitive property surrounding the Swisher trade(s):

Ryan Sweeney (Top 3 outfield prospect), Gio Gonzalez and Fautino De Los Santos (top 5/10 pitching prospects) to get

Nick Swisher

to get

Wilson Betemit (crap), Jeff Marquez (minor league crap), and Jhonny Nunez (can’t comply with the spelling conventions of the English language minor league crap).

Everyone wins with Caffeine and Ice Cream

Well, win or lose on election day, at least well be able to wallow with free food. Among the participants: Starbucks, Krispy Kreme, Chick-Fil-A, and Ben and Jerry's.

Take a look.

We'll concede the IL

Good news team: The latest Yahoo Poll of Polls election map is looking very favorably for the red states.

With one more week to go, I like our chances!

In a related topic, some interesting comments from Politico on 'Election Bias 2008'

And remember, vote early and vote often!

Chimpanzee Rides Segway

Are pogs the next big thing??

Some economic thoughts, by Nicky Depilla:

So much has been made about Obama's commitment to change, and how a vote for Obama is a vote for change. Did we get so caught up in the notion of change that we overlooked that not all change is good? Specifically in the economy, Obama's changes will actually push this economy further in a recession, putting more stress on the already overworked Ben Bernanke. Obama, with all the other donkeys, believe that the economy is powered by middle class spending. The fundamental belief is any tax break for the middle class will instantly increase their spending, boasting larger sales. The hope is that these tax breaks will flood the economy with money.

However, there is a flaw to this current plan. This same middle class failed to learn the lesson of 'saving' from their baby boomer predecessors. The baby boomers are moving into retirement, and will be using their savings earned from better economic times (see; Reagon, Ronald). Because of this wave of retirement, any tax cuts for the baby boomers will be moved squarely into saving for future spending, and not into the existing economy. If the current working middle class employed the same saving discipline, I would have more hope in Obama's economic theory. However, these tax cuts will not be used for the designated spending as Obama hoped, but rather to be saved to be spent on back expenses. One of the reasons we find the economy in harder times is because of mortgages, notably adjustable rate mortgages. The lower and middle class has been deceived into ARMS because of the teasing low beginning rates. Now those rates have jumped measurably, causing widespread panic. The tax cuts intended to boost consumer spending will be used to pay down mortgages primarily.

The second use of the tax cuts will be used on loans. The credit crunch and slow economy have affected loans to where the middle class have not been paying down the principal, only the interest. The banks want their clients to only pay the interest, and stretch the payment period to draw more money. The middle class will use these tax cuts to get more leverage on their outstanding loans. Once again the incentive of spending for household appliances will be overlooked, and money Obama hoped would circulate through high end appliance retailers (raising the capital seen from sales taxes, to support his agenda) will not.

Obama's plan is long ranged, and over the course of 8 years, we would see progress, but not the quick acting affects we hope and he promised. Also, we need to remember, these tax cuts are temporary. A vote for the Democratic Party is a vote for big government, and big government needs big money in order to administer their various and often unnecessary programs. As soon as Obama and company feel tight, and see that none of their programs have taken to development, the middle class will see the inevitable tax hikes, bringing us back to square one and undoing any progress. Through this, the Fed and Ben Bernanke will need to scramble to solve these problems. There isn't much Bernanke would be able to do to coincide with the Obama plan. The Fed would run the playbook: 1) lower interest rates, hurting banks, 2) print more money, devaluing the already deflated dollar. The latter will be the worst, seeing as the Euro is already replacing the dollar in foreign backed securities, inflation will skyrocket, and by with the dollar devalued, China will be able to own a higher piece of the American Pie.

Let's shift gears, and see why McCain's economic plan will be beneficial to America. With a stimulus package being discussed, McCain will be able to implement the GOP's greatest invention Reagonomics. This stimulus package will be intended for instant spending into the economy, and seeing as the stimulus will consist of a fixed amount ($600?) it will not be enough to persuade the middle class to save this one time event. On the eve of consumer spending, McCain will be able to allow tax cuts for Corporate America which will paint a broader stroke. These tax cuts for American companies will open more a revenue stream which will be used to create jobs. These same corporate tax cuts will improve Corporate America's balance sheets, making the companies healthier, improving stock price, ultimately sending the Dow to new highs. With a vigorous Dow, middle class 401k's and IRA's will be strong enough to borrow against for real estate spending, and as we've learned the housing market is the real driver of the American economy.

The trickle down effect or supply side economics will be seen. The trickle down theory states that any tax cuts for large corporations or for the wealthy will be used to invest into America's infrastructure. The trickle down effect will increase the supply of goods to economy, which not only meet demand, but exceed it, causing prices to decrease. By having more money invested in infrastructure, corporations' money "trickles down" do the middle and lower classes. Same goes for the wealthy America, whom have more invested in America's equity, and more to gain by economic success.

It might be the vogue thing to vote for Obama, but is it really the smart choice? For quick acting and long lasting economic success, let's Reagonomics do its thing. Let the corporate tax cuts open more jobs for the ever increasing unemployed, and lower the price of goods by using the trickle down effect. The last thing America needs is to fight another long war, this one not on Wall Street, but on Main Street, as average Americans need to find the money to support Obama's big government, and flawed economic plan. America is a nation of passing fads, and let's hope Obama fades into our popular culture as quickly as pogs or the Macarena.

Barack Obama, you are the weakest link…. Goodbye.

Congradulations to Nick

Congrates to Nicky Depilla who is a proud new owner of nickyd@danptak.com

He completed the puzzle with a time of 1.8 seconds a move!

Photo Opp

Beat this caption: Shit, I had the lens on, nobody move!

DanPtak.com now featuring Side Action

Side Action: $10 Personal check and your own email address @danptak.com to the first person who beats hard with an average move of less that 1.9 seconds.

Take a screen shot and send it over....

Play here

p.s. don't lie on the open screen

The Power Nap

One of My favorite exercise, and I know many of yours.

Here's some tips on making the most out of those zzzzz's.

Business Super Casual: Vindicated

As reported in the Personal Journal (Wall Street Journal) under the 'style' section, as early as last spring several major labels including Prada and Lanvin (can't say that I'm familiar with the latter) showed up on the runway with a new twist to an old fashion.

The PJ-look.

Now, some of you who have known me for many years, know that I first introduced 'Business Super Casual' about 5 years ago. The general concept: pair a fine button up, with comfortable yet stylish set of track pants or basketball shorts depending on the season. This look does give you a good amount of leeway to work though. Other acceptable combination's may include sandals with a suit or team Jersey under sports coat. Think retail outlet split down the middle: Brooks Brothers on the right half of the store, and Nike on the left. Comfortable, confident, Brilliant.

I conclude two things from this article. First and foremost, validation that this idea is credible. Never listen to the naysayers. However, the article goes on to say that this idea isn't catching on. Even the 'hip boutiques of New York City' who are usually the early adapters won't touch this look. And here's why. We, men, don't wear Pajamas, PJ's, whatever you want to call them, in private...so why in the world would I start to wear them in public. There are probably 17 guys in America who can pull off the satin robe look, Hugh being one, that leaves 16 of us ordinary joes left....not going to happen.

Business super casual works though. It's mixing wardrobe items that we already wear every day, and that we already love. I dunno about you, but some of my button ups are the most comfortable shirts I own. Come home from a long day in the office, through on a nice pair of track pants, some Pumas, you're ready to go. Most importantly, it's a unique enough idea that someone can own it, but doesn't carry the negative stigma that PJ's have. The 23 year old Silicon Valley CEO is in right now, and this is definitely something I can see them rock'n. Vincent Chase: the poster-boy for the look. It says, hey, my shirt is more expensive than your entire outfit, and I'm wearing it with my favorite Nike tear-aways.

My advice to Mr. Prada, tone it down.

2008 Fight'n Irish

Irish Nation:

As you may or may not know, last year was a little rough; but alas, many prayers have been cast, returning starters will be ready, and I believe that we will see a more humbler, skinnier Charlie Weis....let's break this down

Why Fall ’08 will be much improved over Fall ’07:

First and foremost, ND will have 16 guys returning who suffered through that horrid season last year and do not want to see a repeat; nine of those guys are from the offensive side of the ball. Notre Dame put up only 16 points a game last season, good enough for 117 out of 120 teams. The loss of tight end Jon Carlson will hurt a little, but look to Duval Kamera (32 receptions and 4 touchdowns in ’07) to pick up some of the slack. The Irish also bring back 3 solid running backs from last season, and junior James Aldridge will likely get the bulk of the carries.

Rumors have it that during the off season, Charlie spent many long nights on the phone with mentors Bill Parcells and Bill Belichick; so much so that he was forced to switch over to the AT&T everything plan as it got to the point in which only his monthly tab at Fazoli’s was outnumbering those anyimte minutes (gotta love those unlimited breadsticks). Conversations were on a plethora of topics including who should be handling play calling duties...and the winner is! Offensive coordinator Mike Haywood! It'll be interesting to see what he can do....

Key’s to the season

The Jimmy: Good news, Jimmy said that he’s not going to sport that stupid haircut this season, the bad news, last year Jimmy was ranked 114 out of 118 Division I quarterbacks …Iek If Jimbo isn’t performing by mid-October, don’t be surprised if we see ND number one recruit, 6-5 QB Dayne Crist (last name a coincidence, I think not) taking some snaps. Oh p.s., ND sill had the number 2 recruiting class this spring which includes one of the best WR in the nation 6-3 Michael Floyd, and a huge target for Jimmy in 6-6 TE Kyle Rudolph.

24: That’s how many point ND will have to average this season if they want to be playing in December.

The Season (Optimistic, Yes, possible, Absolutely):

Notre Dame will go 8-4, end up 24^th in the polls and lock down a bid to the Pacific Life Holiday where they will capture their first bowl victory since….well….since a long time…here’s how they’ll get there:

San Diego State: Last year, the Aztecs finished 6^th in a weak Mountain West conference on the way to a 4-8 year. They’ve done little to improve the team year over end, and ND should be able to work out some early season kinks and pick up a W all at the same time

Final Score: ND 34 SDS: 10 Record 1-0

Michigan: The Wolverines will have their own issues as they say adieu to some of the best talent they’ve had this decade in the likes of QB Chad Henne, RB Mike Hart, OT Jake Long, WR Adrian Arrington, and WR Mario Manningham. The new squad will struggle to adapt to Rich Rodriguez’s spread offense, and Michigan won’t be competing for any big ten championships until Rodriguez can recruit some big names. If the Irish defense can put pressure on redshirt freshman, QB Steven Threet, we should be able to get some revenge from that embarrassing loss last year.

Final Score: Close one, edge to ND 17 Michigan 14 Record 2-0

Michigan State: The Irish are 16-11-1 in games at Spartan Stadium and have won three in a row there: 2006 (40-37), 2004 (31-24) and 2002 (21-17). But the Spartans will have an excellent team this season. Senior back Javon Ringer will be all over Jimmy this afternoon, and the offense will struggle to put up many points. Never easy playing Michicagn and State back to back...

Final Score: ND 14 MSU 24 (mostly because if I predicted the Irish would be 3-0, I think most people would cast this blog as heresy and stop reading) Record 2-1

Purdue: No doubt the Irish will be looking to avenge that solid loss to Purdue last season as this intra-Indiana series continues again this year. Much like our theme that ’08 will be much different that ’07, so too will this game. Aside from their QB, Curtis Painter, who will have a very solid year, the Boilermakers have few big play makers. The Irish defensive line should match up quite nicely against their smaller ‘O line’

Final Score: ND 21 PU 3 Record 3-1

Stanford: One of the better upsets in recent memory as they took down USC last in an unbelievable 24-23 victory. They have two solid running backs and four seniors on the front line to pave the way for them. Defensive line for ND will be key. With that said, the Cardinals won’t end up over .500 this season again, and the Irish should make short work of these guys and send them back on a long flight with a lot to think about.

Final Score: ND 27 Stanford 17 Record 4-1

North Carolina: The Tar heels had a lousy season last year with QB Yates racking up 4 more interceptions that touchdowns, however, this team might be much improved over last year. If the Irish don’t go to Chapel Hill ready to play, they’re going to walk out with their tail between their legs. The heels return 18 guys – 10 of those which should anchor a very solid defense. Might be a tough one before Washington.

Final Score: I’m going to give the home field advantage to the heels: ND 14 NC 17 Record 4-2

Washington: With just two wins last season, Washington will have to rely heavily on it’s 25^th ranked recruiting class over the spring. They will be looking good in 1 – 2 years, but the Irish should capture a nice ‘W’ this year.

Final Score: ND 31 Washington 7 Record 5-2

Pittsburgh: While Pittsburgh looks to have a solid all-around team this season, they don’t have many big play-makers that could be the difference in this game. It will be a three-horse race for the panther QB, but hopefully that lack of ‘O-line’ should mitigate the success of whoever comes out on top (senior LG CJ Davis will be pitts only senior on the line). Pitt will be the toughest team the Irish see before USC and traditioanlly we stuggle....

Final Score: ND 10 Pitt 26 Record 5-3

Boston College: The eagles had a stellar season last year going 11-3 but lose several key players including star quarterback Matt Ryan. With a spotty secondary on the defensive side of the ball, look for Jimmy to put up some big numbers.

Final Score: ND 28 BC 10 Record 6-3

Navy (11/15): If Charlie loses this game, I don’t think anyone would argue against a public tar and feathering. Before Navy won a 46-44 triple-overtime thriller in 2007, Notre Dame had a 43-game winning streak that was the longest series win streak between two annual opponents in the history of Division I FBS football. Navy's previous win came in 1963, 35-14 with future Heisman Trophy winner and NFL QB Roger Staubach at the helm. The midshipmen were so beside themselves, they cancelled classes that following Monday to savor the flavor…probably a good thing because it won’t happen again for another 43 years.

Final Score: ND 86 Navy 0 Record 7-3

Syracuse: Bottom of the barrel in the big east the last three seasons, and they’ve done nothing to improve since then. They’ll stay there for at least another year.

Final Score: ND 35 Orangemen 24 Record 8-3

USC (11/29): If Notre Dame wants to attend a bowl this season, they will have to wrap up the bid before heading out to Pasadena. USC looks good this season...as always....I despise Pete

Final Score: ND 17 USC 42 Record 8-4

We'll there you have it...a White Sox World Series and an Irish bowl victory....life will be good

Numba One - Kiva is sweet

Good Afternoon people,

So, this blog has been sitting here for 6 months now, just waiting to be written on, and I think my hesitancy to create that first post was that I wanted it to be something good, something at least a little bit profound. You only get a first impression once right. Well, I think I found something worth launching a blog. I was indulging in a little CNN money, and they profiled Kiva. I first learned about Micro-Financing (absolutely love wikipedia btw) at a little entrepreneurial get-together Senior year at Dayton (bank-one ballpark to be exact...). The basic concept being that a $25-$1,000 loan in developing countries can make all of the difference in the world. Basically, Kiva is one of the most well known sites that facilitates that exchange. For me, this is a no-brainer. I am always looking to give back, and I am a definitely a big fan of entrepreneurship.