Orioles Slap Bet Poll

[Frank Delicious]

Can't wait for Eric Bedard to come on back down.

[Frank Delicious]

On Bedard he was pretty much the best trade for the O's in the last 10 years.

[Working Stiff]

If you really dig into the moves Seattle has made in the last decade or so, they have made a strong push for worst front office in the free agent era.

[Working Stiff]

In unrelated NL news, the wheels have fallen off for the Dodgers after the big trade, which has distracted people from the fact that the wheels have fallen off for the Cardinals as well. Get ready to party, Pittsburgh.

[Frank Delicious]

I'm surprised the Cards have been as good as they have this year. I know they won the WS last year but it felt like they lost sooo many pieces it would be hard for them to compete for the division title.

[Working Stiff]

The Cardinals run goes back to 2000. They have been in the post season eight times in the last 12 years. There is a lot of replacing pieces that goes on over 12 years. From that respect, I'm not terribly surprised that they have been good enough to contend for the WC.

What people forget is that last year was lightning in a bottle. They had a horrible bullpen that blew 26 saves, then all of a sudden in September when the starters were toast the bullpen stepped up and threw a ton of innings and pitched the Cardinals into the postseason and to a WS title. It was really weird to know that they were second in the league in blown saves and listening to the announcers in the postseason calling the bullpen a "strength." It was, though.

To put it simply, the bullpen was so bad that signing Arthur Rhodes was an improvement. Then that horrible bullpen pitched them to a WS title. You really can't count on something that weird happening every year.

[Frank Delicious]

That post sums up why saves is a bullshit stat that no one should pay attention to.

Also arthur Rhodes rules.

[Working Stiff]

Arthur Rhodes is a testament to why you want to be left-handed if you have borderline big-league stuff.

[BrotherDave]

If you really dig into the moves Seattle has made in the last decade or so, they have made a strong push for worst front office in the free agent era.

Them, KC, and Houston are practically farm teams. I would be thrilled if MLB went to a promoton/relegation style system to punish teams like that.

[Frank Delicious]

promotion/relegation is dumb.

[BrotherDave]

You are dumb. Post seasons are dumb.

[Frank Delicious]

I am dumb.

Post seasons rule

[Working Stiff]

Kansas City has had it's shit together for the last five or six years and you are going to start seeing that team win soon. Whether they can afford to keep the core together long enough to win anything is anyone's guess, but they have a butt ass load of talent in that system.

If you were talking about clown franchises two years ago, Houston isn't anywhere close to the bottom and Pittsburgh would be right there. This stuff comes and goes.

Seattle to me is the worst because they do spend some money, but the do it stupidly and end up with crap-ass talent. At least Kansas City and Pittsburgh were not spending any money to suck.

[uNicedmeMan]

Also arthur Rhodes rules.

Truth.

Just got back from a weekend in NYC that included watching Reynolds get busy in Yankee stadium. Man I'm glad the O's didn't cut him when they most likely should have.

[Frank Delicious]

Seattle to me is the worst because they do spend some money, but the do it stupidly and end up with crap-ass talent. At least Kansas City and Pittsburgh were not spending any money to suck.

If that is your definition you are going by, the Mets should be at the top of the bad money spending. Of course now they don't have any money to spend so that will probably change.