Friday, February 22, 2013



No Move is a Good Move for the Hawks

ATLANTA, Georgia-- So the big move became a no move as Josh Smith will remain a Hawk at least until the end of the 2012-2013 season. Most fans were happy to see Josh stick around and even though he will become a free agent at the end of the season, his non-trade makes sense in several ways. First, there is the fact the Hawks were unable to make any kind of trade that would make sense for the future—or the present for that matter. Second, with significant cap room as a result of unloading Joe Johnson and Marvin Williams during the off-season, the Hawks can keep Josh and still add some quality pieces later on. Also, if Josh had left, the lure of any other “big name” players coming to Atlanta would be diminished since the franchise would no longer even remotely look like a contender. Also, when Smith becomes a free agent, there is a possibility the Hawks can work out some sort of financial arrangement for even less than the max contract the big guy said he wanted. If he does leave the Hawks will be cash and cap rich and will have plenty of room to deal, be it for established players or draft choices. Finally, and of no less importance, is that without Josh the Hawks playoff hopes for this season would be dealt a serious blow as would the turnstile count. All-in-all by not making a move, Danny Ferry made yet another good decision as it relates to the Hawks future.

 Around the Horn…

St. Louis… Cardinal pitcher Chris Carpenter may be finished. A nerve problem has taken its toll on his arm and he is out for at least this season, but many say he won’t make it back at all. Unless he voluntarily retires, the Cards will pay him $10.5 mill this season, leading some to say he’s being greedy. Come on, a contract is a contract and Carp is under no obligation to forfeit the money he is owed.

Cleveland… Indian fans are happy with the signings of $56 million man Nick Swisher and $40 million man Michael Bourne. Both signed four year deals. Swisher had only one bad season-- when he played for Ozzie Guillen in Chicago (why is that not a surprise?). Swisher is from Columbus and played for Ohio State, making him all the more of a fan favorite. Braves fans know what an asset Michael Bourne was to the team and, while he is aging, there is no reason to believe to won't be a major contributor. Not so popular with Tribe fans are the signings of Daisuke Matsuzaka and Jason Giambi to minor league contracts. Dice-K hasn’t shown much in years. Giambi is a positive influence in the club house, but does he have anything left in the tank?

Glendale, Arizona…Yahoo reported on Sandy Koufax appearance at Dodger spring training camp in Glendale, Arizona. You all know how Koufax has largely stayed away from baseball. Now he says he’ll work with the Dodgers for 10 days and the Yahoo article implies he may be doing more throughout the season. Arguably the greatest pitcher ever, Koufax’s visible support of the team will add even more luster to a franchise that has Magic Johnson as an owner, plays in the glamour capital of the world, and likely has a team that will be a solid competitor in the NL West in 2013.

Los Angeles…Millions of words will be written about Jerry Buss, the late owner of the Lakers, but only one word is needed—class. Buss elevated his franchise and the NBA to new levels. Showtime was prime time entertainment with the likes of Magic and Kareem and Worthy. Buss made entertainment a big factor in NBA arenas. He introduced cheerleaders. He replaced the Fabulous Forum with the much more fabulous Staples Center. He groomed his daughter to become the financial brains of the operation and he put in place a variety of other execs who should keep the Lakers competitive for many years to come.

If you care…

Ever hear the term War in the context of baseball? No, it doesn’t have to do with Mike Piazza and Roger Clemons or some similar player or team rivalry. It means Wins Above Replacement and is a non-standardized sabermetric baseball statistic that shows how many more wins a player would give a team as opposed to a "replacement level” player i.e. minor leaguer or bench player at the same position

Baseball Reference uses six components to calculate WAR for position players:

· Batting Runs

·Base running Runs

· Runs added or lost due to Grounding into Double Plays in DP situations

· Fielding Runs

· Positional Adjustment Runs

· Replacement level Runs (based on playing time)

Mike Trout has the top WAR percentage for hitting at 10.4 (http://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/WAR_bat_leagues.shtml).

Baseball Reference at the most basic level uses two components to calculate WAR for pitchers.

· Runs Allowed (both earned and unearned)

· Innings Pitched

Justin Verlander has the highest replacement value of any major league pitcher. The first Brave to appear on the list is Tim Hudson at 44.

 
Now you know.

 

 

 

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