NFL Black Monday: Because you can't fire the owner

Bears, Jets, Falcons, 49ers and you could add the Redskins to the list. The common thread is all except the "Skins just released their coach and / or their GM on Black Monday, but also that each one of these franchises has either bad or overly meddlesome and clueless ownership.

You can't fire the owner. I guess you can make the suggestion however.



The 49ers CEO said he and Harbaugh parted ways due to "philosophical differences". what does that mean? One wanted to win and one wanted to lose? The 49ers say they wanted more of a teacher and yet their ex-coach is going back to his alma-mater Michigan, where presumably he will have to be.......more of a teacher. Seems like they may have been closer philosophically than either imagined. Or maybe there was more to it.

In the Bears case, I guess you can't fire the QB either. Not after you just made him the highest paid QB in the league. And surrounded him with weapons. And gave him an offensive minded coach to replace the defensive minded coach who was presumably holding him back.  Hmmmm......what am I missing here? Something about the first law of holes....?

The Bears just keep ordering more shovels and hiring more ditch diggers. 

Goooooooooooo Bears!!! 

No more "Blockbuster" for the Giants?

Well, there you have it. Perhaps no more "Blockbuster" for the Giants. 

from Mercurynews.com
http://www.mercurynews.com/giants/ci_27190634/marco-scutaros-career-giants-may-be-over?source=infinite

If Scutaro is done, he'll forever be remembered not only for his hits in the 2012 postseason but also his skyward pose in the driving rain during Game 7 of the NLCS. Romo was on the mound as Scutaro enjoyed the downpour and threw the final pitch of that series and season.

 

They don't win in 2012 without him. They don't win without him coming over late season 2012 and spraying hits all over the yard. They don't win without him overcoming Matt Hollidays' dirt-bag slide in the NLCS that year and persevering long enough to dance in the rain and advance to Detroit. The great thing about it as I reviewed the You Tube below of that night was it was Matt Holliday's pop-up to Scutaro that precipated ( no pun intended ) the celebration, added a page to Giants lore as well as the Giants - Cardinals rivalry. The baseball gods were dancing in the rain that night as well. 

from mlb.com
http://m.mlb.com/video/v25415817

Was Matt Holliday's takeout slide of Marco Scutaro in the first inning of NLCS Game 2 a dirty play?

• 55%
  Yes
• 45%
  No

 (Total votes: 127,077)

I Love a Rainy Night with the San Francisco Giants

Lots of great memories in Marco's short time with the Giants, he was a consummate professional. 

Scoots, your time with the Giants was too short, but your accomplishments and the memories are enough to last a lifetime. A great competitor and a great Giant. 

Giants Hot-Stove Buzz and Speculation

Let me see if I have this straight, the Giants are:

• "in the picture on James Shields" @ 5 years / $110 million
• "interested in acquiring" Cole Hamels @ $23.5 for next four years + $20 option year 2019 when he'll be 35
• and "haven't talked to, don't plan to" talk to Matt Scherzer

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/hamelco01.shtml

2015 31 Philadelphia Phillies $23,500,000

2016 32 Philadelphia Phillies $23,500,000

2017 33 Philadelphia Phillies $23,500,000

2018 34 Philadelphia Phillies $23,500,000

2019 35 Philadelphia Phillies *$20,000,000

$20M Team Option, $24M Vesting Option, $6M Buyout Vests if he 1) has 400 IP in 2017-18, including 200 IP in 2018, and 2) is not on the disabled list with a shoulder or elbow injury at the end of the 2018 season

Hamels would be the most attractive from a contract versus performance potential comparison with Shields coming in second only because Scherzer is just looking to break the bank. He has Scott Boras as his agent, so go figure. Hamels will likely cost a king's ransom of prospects and seems attracted to San Diego under the "going home" banner. Hamels is from the San Diego area originally and reportedly would not mind ending his career there. So the Padres may have a leg up there and they have both the pieces to make a deal and a GM who is in wheeler-dealer mode right now.

The current signs point to either "Shields or bust" for the Giants with bust looking like the best bet.

from Bleacher Report:
Cole Hamels Trade Rumors: Latest Buzz and Speculation Surrounding Star Pitcher | Bleacher Report:

Philadelphia Phillies ace Cole Hamels has been the subject of numerous trade rumors and reports, as teams look to bolster their rotations with the lefty's services. The Boston Red Sox, San Francisco Giants, San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers have all expressed interest in acquiring the ace. 

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from Bleacher Report:
 http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2250529-james-shields-rumors-latest-buzz-and-speculation-surrounding-star-pitcher

The final Shields numbers are expected to be close to the five years and $110 million remaining (if the option is picked up) on the Cole Hamels deal, according to one major league source who was privy to Shields’s demands. The Giants and Red Sox are in the picture, and the Yankees may be another suitor.

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE:

Maybe Cuban phenom switch-hitting, SS-3B Yoan Moncado as a decent consolation prize? Giants odds are 13-1 according to this analysis, but the Yankees and Red Sox are in on this kid, among others.

from Bleacher Report:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2280818-ranking-signing-odds-for-cuban-phenom-yoan-moncadas-top-8-suitors/page/7

Moncada is 19 and packs a lot of tools into his 6'1/210 frame. He’s a plus-plus runner with above average raw power from both sides of the plate and the tools/skills to stick in the infield, possibly at shortstop. Moncada is the quick-twitch type with big bat speed that clubs covet, and his track record of hitting at big tournaments and in Cuba’s professional leagues is excellent considering his age. 

 Different sources had Moncada timed differently in the 60-yard dash, though he ran somewhere in the 6.56- to 6.6-second range. That gives him a 70 for his speed on the 20-to-80 scouting scale, or close to the top of the scale. Moncada reportedly looked better at third and second than he did at shortstop, with enough arm from any infield position. He swung the bat well from both sides of the plate, showing plus raw power both ways. The only negative was that Moncada didn't face live pitching, hitting only off of a BP pitcher. When asked to grade out his tools based on this workout, in combination with previous reports, one scout gave the following grades:

Hit - 60
Power - 60
Speed - 70
Arm - 60
Field - 50

Short-term Shields works, the back end of his contract is going to suck, not the same with Hamels or Scherzer, but they hurt you down the road in other ways. Moncado the risk is he flops, but that seems like a low-risk and the Giants have to win one of these Cuban lotteries, don't they?

Moncado would move the Giants hot-stove league grade from a B-/C+ level to a solid A-/B+ in a hurry. If you knew what Cain and/or Lincecum were going to give you in the next 2-3 year, life would be so much easier. But life is not like that.

Giants fans are looking for one more present under the tree waiting to see if upper management deems them to have been naughty or nice last year. Given the fan support and the results from what has to be a worn out cash register in the Giants back office, woe to management if there isn't at least one more gift to the masses.

James Shields is a risky investment -- ESPN

Denny Medley/USA TODAY Sports

This is a particularly good synopsis of the pros / cons of the Giants signing James Shields by ESPN.com's David Schoenfield. So now that I'm leaning more NO than YES, does that mean that somewhere out of the blue the Giants find some coin under the seat cushions in the front office and sign "Big Game" James?

Probably....but stay tuned. Who else signs him? We might be negotiating against ourselves at this point. Put your best offer on the table and fix a deadline to it where you tell Team Shields that afterward you are going in another direction. You're out!!

from ESPN:
James Shields is a risky investment - SweetSpot Blog - ESPN:

Again, this doesn't mean Shields isn't a good pitcher. But any team that's willing to make a big investment in him would have to view him as a difference-maker in 2015 and 2016, a guy it needs to push it over the top. I'm just not sure there's a team that applies to. Depending on the ballpark and the quality of defense behind him, his numbers might drop a little, and his new team might be getting more of a No. 3 starter than a No. 2.

Jim Bowden rates the Giants as the team most likely to sign Shields. That makes some sense, as Matt Cain is a question mark coming back from elbow surgery and Shields would bump Tim Lincecum from the rotation. But wouldn't it make even more sense for the Giants to wait a year and go after one of those young aces, when Lincecum's $18 million comes off the books? Do you want to build a rotation around Madison Bumgarner, a guy coming off an injury and three starters (Shields, Tim Hudson and Jake Peavy) in their mid-to-late 30s?

Sure, Shields could help in 2015. But it's not as if the Giants are going to have trouble selling tickets if they don't sign him. They have a little goodwill to play with after winning the World Series. They have a strong team, with or without Shields, and play in a weak division. I'd pass on Shields, go with Lincecum and/or Yusmeiro Petit in the fifth slot, then go all-in next year on Price or Zimmermann. 

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Where in the world is Marco Scutaro?

It appears as if we are about to find out. No surprise given the comments from the brass, it appears very likely that where in the world Marco Scutaro will not be in 2015, is anywhere near San Francisco.

from HardballTalk:
Giants’ training staff preparing an update on Marco Scutaro | HardballTalk:

In his column for the San Francisco Chronicle, John Shea reports that the Giants’ training staff is preparing an update on second baseman Marco Scutaro, and adds that it likely isn’t a good sign.  Scutaro was only able to play in five games during the 2014 season due to recurring back problems. The Giants owe him $6 million in 2015, the final year of a three-year deal he signed with the club back in December 2012. The 39-year-old veteran was productive for the Giants in 2013, posting a .726 OPS. Shea notes that the Giants never considered him as a potential replacement at third base once Pablo Sandoval left.

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To my knowledge, he never appeared on the bench this season during his rehab, as did Cain, Pagan, Morse, etc. Sabean's cryptic comment along the lines of "we have his phone number around here somewhere" was telling, as was the "we have no viable internal options to replace Pablo at 3B".

We know they don't want to play Posey at 3B,  but it's not much of a stretch to suggest that Scutaro, a former major league SS, could make the switch if healthy.

Combine those two statements and you get the impression that Scutaro will not be ready, willing and able to play anywhere for SF in 2015. Another $6M in salary flushed down the toilet.

We know Pablo felt disrespected. Now we may be learning that apparently somebody also pissed in Scutaro's Wheaties. Maybe spend some of the savings for not chasing / finishing in second place chasing James Shields for some sensitivity training for all Giants front office personnel and staff. Or start signing emotionally tougher players. Sheesh!!

Giants, Red Sox still in the picture for James Shields | HardballTalk

Given the recent noise from the Giants about being at / near the top of the budget, I don't see how they can be in the running for Shields at 5 years / $110 M.

from HardballTalk:
Giants, Red Sox still in the picture for James Shields | HardballTalk:

Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe reports that the Giants and Red Sox are still “in the picture” for free agent starter James Shields, adding that the Yankees are another possible suitor. According to Cafardo’s source, Shields is expected to fetch five years and around $110 million.

Shields, who turned 33 on Saturday, finished the 2014 season with a 14-8 record, a 3.21 ERA, and a 180/44 K/BB ratio in 227 innings for the Royals. He had mediocre results in the post-season, posting a 6.12 ERA in 25 innings. “Big Game James” took losses in both starts he made against the Giants in World Series Games 1 and 5.

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Plus, if you compare Shields and Peavy, you're almost looking at the same guy statistically speaking. Performance-wise, you can probably make a better case for Peavy. If you're saying that because of the perception of Peavy maybe having excess mileage, or higher potential for breaking down going forward making the difference between a $12M AAV in Peavy versus a $22M AAV in Shields, then I'm just saying some agent is going to get more than a huge bro-hug and one might be due a punch in the eyeball.

Drilling deeper, according to the repertoire and velocity comparison, Shields velocity has gone up the last couple of years from 91.31 in 2010 to 92.49 in 2014 (+1.16 MPH) while Peavy has lost a bit of his FB, dropping from 91.06 to 89.88 (-1.18 MPH) during the smae 2010-2014 period.

They always say velocity isn't important, maybe as a stand alone metric, but clearly in this comparison, it may have just made an $86M difference.

from the baseballcube.com
http://www.thebaseballcube.com/reports/compare.asp

Positions:	P-429
Proper Name:	Jacob Edward Peavy
Born:	May 31, 1981 (33.204) in Mobile, Alabama
Height/Weight:	6-1 / 180	Bats/Throws:	Right-Right

Positions:	P-369
Proper Name:	James Anthony Shields
Born:	December 20, 1981 (33.001) in Newhall, California
Height/Weight:	6-3 / 190	Bats/Throws:	Right-Right JAMES SHIELDS

Pitch Repertoire	Fastball (27.07%) -- Changeup (26.74%) -- 2-Seam Fastball (14.16%) -- Cutter (11.76%) -- Curveball(11.45%) -- Slider (8.82%)
Fastball Velocity:	[2014] - 92.49 - [2013] - 92.14 - [2012] - 92.03 - [2011] - 90.9 - [2010] - 91.31 JAKE PEAVY

Pitch Repertoire Fastball (27.35%) -- 2-Seam Fastball (23.65%) --Cutter (17.80%) -- Changeup (10.59%) -- Curveball(10.40%) -- Slider (10.09%) -- Splitter (0.13%) Fastball Velocity: [2014] - 89.88 - [2013] - 90.33 - [2012] - 90.73 - [2011] - 90.17 - [2010] - 91.06

The assist goes to Mrs. The Slav for cropping the stats so they fit the page size without spilling over the edge. 

(CLICK TO ENLARGE)

The Peavy deal is looking better and better for the Giants in terms of Average Annual Value (AAV) and number of years committed. If they have that much money to commit to Shields, maybe the money would be better spent on Mikey Mo's replacement in LF. You saved about $15M on the Sandoval-McGehee shuffle at 3B and Morse was in for about $10M last season. You only spent $12M on Peavy, so minimum there should be $13M left. That's if you stay even payroll-wise and that would be kind of a slap in the face to the fans and the franchise considering you are now getting a third chance to defend the title and get it right by winning in consecutive years. That would put all debate about "Giants, dynasty or not?" to rest.  You lost on Tomas in LF, let Morse walk when he didn't get near what he could have / should have and let the Padres load up on guys that you could easily swing over to LF. Running out of options there guys. I'm not sure you can pull a Dexter Fowler out of your hat and satisfy the populace. Your going to have to have something bigger up your sleeve there. Maybe it's time to let go of the James Shields chase and spend for a competent bat. It's not like this was the greatest offensive lineup in the world at times last year, you know?

Kendry Flores is the cost of replacing Panda

So now we learn the true cost of losing Panda, the replacement cost.

Juan C. Rodriguez ‏@JCRMarlinsbeat  8m8 minutes ago

#Marlins getting RHPs Kendry Flores and Luis Castillo from #Giants for Casey McGehee.

McGehee gives about the same production offensively, probably a bit of a drop-off defensively. He also comes cheaper at $3.5M versus Pablo's $8.5M or so last year. Maybe we can bring back Vogie now.

Kendry Flores is going to break a lot of hearts in Giant Prospect Prognostication-ville. He was a favorite of the stats crowd for his K/9 - BB/9  efficiency of about 4:1. He may not arrive until 2016 anyway, so a potential piece of the future leaves the franchise. Detractors would point to a bit of a drop off moving from Low-A to High-A as a bit of a warning sign against his chances of making the big squad. In Florida, he has more of a chance to advance. Luis Castillo is a non-prospect IMO.

from mlb.com
http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=572309#gameType='R'&sectionType=career&statType=2&season=2014&level='ALL'

Giants stay the course, re-sign Jake Peavy to two-year deal - Yahoo Sports

(Getty Images)

Another good move for the Giants. A good move, maybe not a great, splashy move like the Lester signing would have been. But the Giants don't specialize in splashy anymore. And maybe that's a good thing. Let the Dodgers specialize in splash, flash and spending wads of cash. The Giants can keep specializing in winning.

from Yahoo Sports:
Giants stay the course, re-sign Jake Peavy to two-year deal | Big League Stew - Yahoo Sports:

The latest late night/early morning deal is brought to us by Fox Sports Ken Rosenthal, who reports the San Francisco Giants and GM Brian Sabean have reached an agreement to bring back veteran right-hander Jake Peavy on a two-year deal. ESPN's Jerry Crasnick later confirmed the overnight agreement and the financials, which come in at $24 million guaranteed.

'via Blog this'

This buys the Giants some time to rebuild the starting rotation. Tim Hudson leaves after 2015 and perhaps Lincecum as well. Peavy will be gone after 2016.

In the prospect pipeline, for starting pitchers you might expect the following reinforcements to arrive:

2015
Ty Blach
Chris Stratton

2016
Kendry Flores

2017
Kyle Crick
Clayton Blackburn
Adalberto Mejia
Keurry Mella
Tyler Beede

If any of them arrive ahead of schedule, either due to injury or a sudden bump in development, so much the better. And there is some hope for that, especially with Kyle Crick.

I was listening to MLB radio on Sirius and one of the commentators made a similar comparison to my Madison Bumgarner - Tim Alderson career path divergence and the ramifications with the Dodgers Clayton Kershaw and Chad Billinglsey. Not as elegant as the Giants example in that they started their careers at different times, but what I noticed in the comps is that Kershaw struggled mightily with his control at the AA level in 2007 at Jacksonville,  posting a 6.12 BB/9 versus a 10.44 K/9. The next year in 2008 Kershaw repeated AA Jacksonville and posted 8.70 K/9 versus 2.80 BB/9 and the rest, as they say, is history.

Kershaw's K/BB rate went from 1.71 when he was a 10+ K/9 to 3.11 when his K's went down to 8.66 per 9IP. Kershaw's K level held at the level when he reached the bigs, although his BB level wen up to 4.35 and 4.79 his first two years. Since then his BB/9 in  the bigs has decreased almost every year dropping from 3.57/2.08/2.49/1.98/1.41 from 2010 to 2014. Strangely enough, Kershaw's K/9 is now back over 10+ in 2014 @ 10.85, while his BB/9 is an absurd 1.41!!

http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/profile.asp?P=clayton-kershaw

Crick was 11.1 K/9 and 6.1 BB/9 which is about his minor league career line in those two metrics. He needs the light to go on in a similar way that it appeared to for Kershaw. Kershaw sacrificed the gaudy 10+ K/9 to lower his BB/9 rate to an acceptable level, which  increased his overall pitching efficiency.

http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/profile.asp?P=kyle-crick

If Crick can take a similar career U-turn, the Giants could see the Matt Cain 2.0 comparisons for Crick come true. That would bolster the Giants starting rotation for years to come.

Concussions Derail Batting Performance for MLB Players -- University of Rochester Medical Center

At least now I will feel like I'm in good company when I feel the need to repeat myself. Before I read this I felt like I was just banging my head against a proverbial wall in some perverse way hoping that I would feel better when I stopped. 

Ben Carlson, CFA, who writes for A Wealth of Common Sense, referenced a financial advice quote from Jason Zweig of The Wall Street Journal that sums up what investors should be thinking in these volatile times.

"I was once asked, at a journalism conference, how I defined my job. I said: My job is to write the exact same thing between 50 and 100 times a year in such a way that neither my editors nor my readers will ever think I am repeating myself."

"That's because good advice rarely changes, while markets change constantly. The temptation to pander is almost irresistible. And while people need good advice, what they want is advice that sounds good."

Now I feel more like a professional journalist. Perhaps I should start getting paid for this. 

• The following study demonstrates why you will continue to see the "Buster Posey moves to 3B" conversation continue to be pervasive among Giants fans and bloggers regardless of what Brian Sabean says.

• The following study demonstrates why you will continue to see the "Buster Posey moves to 3B" conversation continue to be pervasive among Giants fans and bloggers regardless of what Brian Sabean says.

Concussions Derail Batting Performance for MLB Players - News Room - University of Rochester Medical Center:

"The message, “when in doubt, sit it out” flashed on video boards throughout the World Series, with good timing: A new analysis of Major League Baseball statistics shows that concussed players may not be fully recovered when they’re cleared to return to the batting lineup.

A University of Rochester study looked at MLB players who suffered a concussion between 2007 and 2013. Researchers found that during their first two weeks back, the concussed players’ batting performances were significantly worse than another group of players who were rusty because of being away for paternity or bereavement leave during the same period.

Lead author Erin Wasserman presented the data at the 142nd annual meeting of the American Public Health Association on Nov. 19, 2014, in New Orleans. Wasserman is an epidemiology doctoral student in the Department of Public Health Sciences at UR specializing in concussion research.

Brain injuries are most often associated with contact sports, but they are prevalent in baseball, too. During the World Series last month, head injuries affected two San Francisco players, one of whom was not able to play due to his concussion. At the high school and college levels, baseball concussions are rising at a rate of about 14 percent a year, researchers said.

In the MLB study, players returning after a concussion had lower batting averages (.234 versus .264); lower slugging percentages (.359 versus .420); and lower on-base plus slugging percentages (.654 versus .747) compared to players returning from bereavement or paternity leave, researchers reported.

“Although players who sustain a concussion may be symptom-free and cleared by MLB protocol to return to play, the residual effects of concussion on the complex motor skills required for batting may still be a problem,” said Principal Investigator Jeffrey J. Bazarian, M.D., M.P.H., associate professor of Emergency Medicine at the UR School of Medicine and Dentistry, and a national expert in sports head injuries.

When a batter is at the plate, the brain and its neural networks must be in top form to master hand-eye coordination, intense visual acuity, fast reaction time, postural stability and balance, and swing control in just 400 milliseconds – the estimated time it takes most balls to pass from pitcher to batter, Bazarian said.

After a concussion, brain function can be impaired for weeks or months resulting in symptoms such as slowed thinking or response speed, and poor concentration. Understanding the impact of concussions on batting performance can help to inform decisions about when to return to the lineup, the study said.

Concussions account for about 2 percent of all injuries that result in loss of playing time, behind strains and contusions as the most common MLB injuries.

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Michael Vick and Redemption

NASHVILLE, TN - DECEMBER 14: Michael Vick #1 of the New York Jets warming up before a game against the Tennessee Titans at LP Field on December 14, 2014 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)


I know many people will still never forgive the man for the beginning of the story, but they have missed the rest of the story as it unfolded. A truly remarkable story of redemption. And really who doesn't need a little bit of that in their lives?

The credit goes to Vick for recognizing and making some serious fundamental changes in his life. An assist has to go to Tony Dungy, who made the effort to mentor the young man when many, many people wanted to throw him away like a piece of garbage. Sad beginning, conflict and drama in the middle, leading to a happy ending. If you made a  movie about it nobody would believe it, yet it is the basic theme of so many Hollywood movies. The go-to theme if you will.

A remarkable sports story as well as a remarkable human interest story.

from Yahoo Sports:
Michael Vick has nearly paid off his $18 million debt | Shutdown Corner - Yahoo Sports:

As ESPN notes, Vick opted to go with Chapter 11 rather than Chapter 7 bankruptcy, which meant he paid back all that he owed, not a small percentage. To him, it was an important and necessary step to demonstrate his willingness to atone.The deal with creditors is set to expire at the end of the year, and Vick will likely sell some property to close off the last of his debt.

"I feel blessed because I came out and found myself in a position where I had a lot of people that really believed in me, people who gave me an opportunity," Vick said. "At the time, it wasn't about trying to fulfill all the bankruptcy needs, I was trying to fulfill all the needs that I had in my life because I had nothing."

Vick will never escape the shadow of the events that landed him in prison. But he's shown through his actions that he won't remain defined by them. That's admirable, in its own way.

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