I usually don't like to talk about the Red Sox that often unless there's some news that's worthwhile, but I think this is pretty big. Epstein just landed the best available reliever in Gagne to bolster what is already the Major League's best bullpen. And he didn't even have to give up that much to get him.
Gabbard has had some success this year and is a good pitcher but with Schilling coming back either he or Lester was going to have to go back down and Lester has a higher ceiling. David Murphy is a pretty good CF but is blocked by both Crisp and Jacoby Ellsbury. The last piece was Engel Beltre, a low level prospect.
Initial reports look like the Red Sox are going to guarantee Gagne's incentives so he can set-up for Papelbon and not worry about losing money. Before the All-Star game I argued that Okajima's stats would make him the closer on most teams, so it looks like the Red Sox are essentially going to have three closers at their disposable, as well as several other servicable arms.
As far as the Dye deal is concerned, it appears that the Red Sox offered Wily Mo Pena and Craig Hansen but the White Sox insisted on Delcarmen, which killed the deal. I'm very happy that this one didn't happen even considering the aquisition of Gagne. Keep the arms in the bullpen, let Wily Mo develop and don't disrupt the chemisty. Overall it seems like a pretty good deadline day.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Gagne to Boston, Dye Deal Dead
PMPC3WAY
Here is the link to our attempted podcast. It is very, very long. I had to edit so much of it out because Log and Guy wouldn't stop ripping on people.
PMPC3WAY
I also did a long podcast with Bathrick.
I really will feel bad for anyone who actually listens to these things. Guys don't worry I'm the only one that sounds like Simmons.
The Teixeira Trade Revisited
I wanted to clarify my comments from yesterday about recent Braves acquisition Mark Teixeira. What I said was that while it was still a great trade for Atlanta, Teixeira was somewhat overrated. Actually, a better word choice probably would have been overvalued. There are two main reasons why Braves fans’ enthusiasm should be slightly restrained.
The first issue is the ballpark that Teixeira has played in his entire career. Baseball Reference lists the Ballpark at Arlington as having a Park Factor of 104 for hitters (anything over 100 favors the hitter, under favors the pitcher). Turner Field, on the other hand, has a Park Factor of 97. The effe
The other thing to consider is Teixeira’s future, since he will be a free agent after next year. The switch hitter is a Boras client, and Boras almost always has his clients hit free agency to get full value. Now I realize that the Braves will most likely be off the hook for Andruw Jones’ contract and their ownership is increasing payroll. However, the important thing to remember is that the Yankees will also be looking to fill a spot a first base with Jason Giambi’s massive contract coming off the books. The Orioles and the Red Sox could also potentially be interested. Boras almost always gets people to overpay for his clients (Barry Zito, J.D. Drew, Johnny Damon, Ivan Rodriguez, to name a few). My point is not that the Braves can’t or won’t sign him; it’s just that if they do they will pay a very steep price.
Like I said before, this is still a good trade for the Braves. I think Teixeira is still a very good player and he greatly improves their lineup and it doesn’t cost them anything that will hurt them in the long term.
Why the Cleveland Browns will have a Little Bit of a Season
Right now, you’re saying “what the fuck is this guy talking about? The Browns are horrible.” And yes, you are right. But let’s take a look at some correlating history that proves that the Browns will have a successful season. And I’m not trying to connect Brady Quinn’s crotch-grabbing with Rex Grossman’s odd fetishes.
Some ridiculous friends of mine and I have pretty much started calling this theory the “You Just Gotta Feel Bad” Theory. A short look at the history:
The 2001-2002 Season-- The
We all know the horrifying story of 9/11. There is no need for me to dwell on that. 
The fact of the matter is a team named the Patriots (who went 5-11 in the season before this one, mind you) went on to win the Super Bowl just five months after one of the worst days in
The 2006-2007 Season-- The
I touched on this in my fantasy football team name suggestions article. The
effects of Katrina propelled the city to rally behind the Saints. And it was really great for both the NFL and the city that was in shambles, don’t get me wrong. Warrick Dunn even told the press something to the effect of; if he is going to lose, it may as well be to the Saints. You really think there wasn’t a lack of killer instinct there? Dunn was probably too busy thinking about the fact that the only thing that will fit in his mouth are grapes (compliments to Daris for that one-- I think he finds the small size of Dunn’s mouth more ridiculous than I do). I’m just saying, everyone had to feel kinda bad. I mean, you’ve got to.
This seasons’ candidates:
The Runner-Up-- The
Tough offseason for Shanahan’s boys out west. Darrent Williams was shot and killed on New Years in a drive-by. A really awful story. Javon Walker was there for the whole thing-- I can’t even imagine. I am in no way poking fun at this death; I’m just saying it’s a reason for other teams to “just feel bad.” Past results, as shown above, actually back up this sort of ridiculous claim. Don’t worry; I’ll go to church this Sunday.
The Winner-- The
It’s hard to think up a reason to feel bad for the Browns, besides the popular jokes “well, they have to live in
The main reason that you just gotta feel bad? Take a look at the Browns' logo: the Dawg. The Dawg Pound! You think other teams won’t see the correlation here and just feel bad for the Dawg lovers at Cleveland Browns Stadium? It may be for the wrong reasons, but so was feelin’ bad for the Pats in ’01-’02. The Falcons are lucky they aren’t coming to
Here’s to a 12-4 season and a Super Bowl loss. Hey, all the other
Monday, July 30, 2007
Garnett Deal Done?
While looking through BostonHerald.com to keep up to date on Red Sox trade rumors I came across this blog that says the Garnett deal is basically done (ed: it loo
Look at it this way...without making a deal for Garnett, the trade for Allen is pretty pointless. Yes, it makes them better, but it really doesn't give them a serious shot to make a deep run in the playoffs. With a lineup of Garnett, Pierce, Allen, Rondo and whoever, they would be one of, if the not the team to beat in the East. Sometimes you've got to just say screw it and go for it. Besides, if it doesn't work out they can just dump the expiring contracts and start over again. Wait and see, but I'm guessing if this guy is right we should see some confirmation on this in the next few hours.
P.S. Unfortunately the Celtics released Allan Ray yesterday, meaning we won't be able to hear an announcer say "Allen to Ray" or "Ray to Allan" and get all confused. That just sucks.
Fantasy Football Team Name Ideas
Odds are that if you’re a big enough dork to either contribute to or read this blog, you play fantasy football. With the season on the horizon and a lot of drafts going on, the simple task of coming up with a team name becomes the most daunting of them all. Here at Log’s Blog, our great minds are coming together to give you a few ideas to outwit the rest of the guys in your league, intimidating them with a team name that will surely place you in the winner’s circle at the end of the year.
Pacman’s Rainmaker
With news coming out on Monday regarding Pacman’s contract with a professional wrestling organization, a joke going that way is sure to be a winner. I’m no Jerry the King Lawler, but I will speculate that “The Rainmaker” will be Pacman’s finishing move once he begins his domination. The only drawback here is that it may be commonplace in fantasy football to rib at Pacman this season.
Cincinnattica Bungles
This one was actually used by Logan last year in our league. A witty pun combining the Bengals with the prison called Attica in New York. Clever. However, if you want to go the Bengals route, I suggest you name your team…
Chris Henry’s Line Walking Class 
With all of Henry’s legal trouble (read: DUI’s), this one is sure to get some chuckles at your draft this fall. Rumor has it Henry walks a mean straight line, especially when under the pressure of being in downtown Cincinnati under the lights while a cop judges his aforementioned balance beam tactics. (Note: it doesn’t hurt to attend the class intoxicated). Alternatives: Chris Henry’s Drunk Driving Class; Chris Henry’s Sex-Ed Class; McNeal, Henry & Thurman Inc.
Vince Young’s Broken Left Leg
You know what I’m referring to: the Madden curse! Not only is this a surefire laugh, but it is an actual predetermined injury in the making. Poor VY. Who knows, if he can single handedly beat USC, maybe he can do the same to John Madden’s fat ass.
Brady’s Bastards
An obvious burn to Tom Brady here. As long as Gisele and/or Bridget aren’t in your league, this 
should fire off some laughter.
The New Orleans Saints
If you want everyone in your league to roll over and let you win because they feel bad for you, this is the team name for you. Just so long as someone in your league isn’t named the Chicago Bears and mercilessly beats you in the semifinals of your league because they are heartless ass holes.
Other possible team names that I don’t feel like writing an explanation for:
In the Booth with Tiki
John Clayton’s Pocket Protectors
Vick, in Shotgun Formation
Pasquarelli’s Canolis
Quinn’s QT’s
Favre’s “Retirement” Speech
Salisbury’s Tube Steak - explanation here
Trade Deadline Loooooming
After lots of talk and speculation we've finally had a deal worth talking about. Teixeria (and reliever Ron Mahay) were traded to the Braves for Jarrod Saltalamacchia. While I think Teixeria is a little overvalued, this is still a good deal for the Braves. They n
From everything I've been reading it looks like Jermaine Dye could very well be a Red Sox before long. This scares me. Yes, Dye would be a good fourth outfielder and an upgrade over Wily Mo Pena. But I've heard that they might have to give up Manny Delcarmen to get him which makes no sense. Why downgrade your bullpen to upgrade your bench? Not to mention the fact that Dye has voiced his concerns about playing time and could be a problem in the clubhouse if he is reduced to back up for J.D. Drew.
There's been a lot of talk about a lot of players potentially being moved, but in my opinion there are only a few who could make a difference. Obviously when and if Gagne and Dotel get moved that is going to help someone. But I really believe that Jose Contreras could be beneficial to an NL team looking for some rotational help. We'll see what happens.
P.S. If you're asking yourself what Kruk has to do with this article, he has nothing to do with it. I just thought this was a funny picture.
What You Missed While You Were Eagerly Anticipating Number 755
Alberto Contador won the Tour de France by default, as he was the only rider left who hadn’t test positive for some sort of drug.
The Cubbies continue to win with Carlos Zambrano slugging his way to victory.
Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken Jr. were inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame this weekend. Things got a little awkward during the
post-induction celebration when Tony ate Cal.
Jose Canseco claims to “have something” on A-Rod and that we’ll just have to wait and see what it is. There are so many inappropriate jokes that could be made right now. My brain may explode.
The co-defendants in the Mike Vick case pled guilty, meaning its likely that they will take a plea and testify against Vick. No jokes here, Vick’s just f****d.
In some rather scary news, Knicks’ power forward Eddy Curry was robbed at gunpoint in his Chicago home. In the police report Curry listed two dozen jelly donuts and a gallon of moose tracks ice cream as the two most important missing items.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Mr. Heather Kozar is Back
The Jacksonville Jaguars are giving former first overall pick Tim Couch another chance, awarding him with a 2 year contract for the veterans’ minimum. Couch was picked by the Cleveland Browns, and since then is the Browns’ most winning quarterback, which is actually kind of sad once you think about it. What most people don’t remember is that Couch is the one that led the Browns to the playoffs in 2002, only to be injured in the final game of the regular season and have ass hole Butch Davis give his job to Kelly Holcomb on “a gut feeling” going into the 2003 season. Holcomb threw for, like, a lot of yards against the Steelers in that playoff loss, which was apparently enough to sell
The First Cut is not the Deepest
Anyway, the Destroyers went down valiantly, with the final score showing
55-33, SaberCats. The 7-9 Destroyers actually had the game tied at 14 at one point during the game, but could not finish off their terrific playoff run (I’m just assuming it was terrific-- it’s not like I actually watched it). It’s as if Destroyers’ quarterback Matt Nagy knew that the Destroyers were openly going for beats. When asked about the offense after the game, he said "It's safe to say the last five weeks, we were in a really good rhythm. Tonight, offensively, we just couldn't get in that rhthym - we were hoping to stretch it one more game." It was a good effort, Matt, and the state of
