Call it dumb and dumber for two Yankee golden-arm pitchers who threw away their careers with off-the-field hijinks….It was as if he had a death wish for his career and now he’s succeeded. This is an injury far worse than the blown-out elbow. – Bill Madden, Daily News

Call it a freak accident. Call Chamberlain a good dad. He still should have been smarter than to get on a trampoline. – John Harper, Daily News

Joba Chamberlain has for the most part taken a beating from the media this week for being so irresponsible in playing with his child on a trampoline.  I know it’s basically the media’s job to blame someone or something for everything that happens in professional sports, but they need to cut Joba a break here.

I pulled these quotes both from Daily News but it’s the same theme everywhere.  That Joba was somehow wreckless by taking his kid to a recreation center to play.  Bill Madden’s article even starts by comparing getting on a trampoline to former Yankee prospect Brien Taylor, who suffered a career ending injury in a bar fight back in the early 90′s. To compare a player jumping on a trampoline  with his kid to a late night bar fight is ridiculous.

It’s easy for us as fans and media to see these guys as something more, or something different, but professional athletes are at the end of the day regular people who lead lives off the field.  They raise families, play with their kids, and do things around the house just like anyone else.  Their job just happens to be professional athlete.  It’s one thing if a player was out riding a motorcycle, or skiing, or climbing a mountain.  Those are inherently risky activities.  But playing on a trampoline with with your kid is not.  It’s wrong for us to expect these guys to live completely sheltered lives.

Keith Law ran a chat today over at ESPN, and it got me thinking a bit about Mets prospect Josh Edgin:

Steve (NY) Any opinion on Josh Edgin? His stuff looks pretty impressive from the left-side. May even make Mets’ OD roster despite never facing AA hitters yet.

Klaw (1:57 PM) Middle reliever – not a surprise that a good LH A-ball arm could jump to the majors and throw 50 innings in a pseudo-specialist role. Teams are often too slow to push those guys anyway.

It looks like Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus was pretty busy with Michael Pineda questions today. Here are a few from his chat today:

Joe V. (Washington, DC): Kevin: OK, what do you think about Pineda? A: He’s a little out of shape and is conserving his best stuff for the season or B: Last year took a ton out of him and it might take him an entire year to regain lost velocity or C: There’s in injury there and the Mariners knew what they were doing in getting rid of him.Kevin Goldstein: Closest to A, but I don’t think he’s conserving his best stuff as some sort of plan as much as he’s building it back.

I agree that A is more where he stands. Pineda already knows he can blow his fastball by hitters, and has been working on his changeup, as well as pitching to contact in an attempt to get more ground balls and keep his pitch count down. I’m of the belief that once he’s on the mound for his first real Yankees start, he’ll be cranking upper-90s fastballs down the plate and dominating hitters like he did last year.

SamLindauer (NY): There seems to be some debate as to whether the Yankees should send Nova to the minors to start the season. Some say Pineda should go down. Would this make sense for the Yankees?Kevin Goldstein: I would be really confused if either went down.

I’ve heard a lot of discussion about this, and personally, I think it’s stupidity in every sense of the word. Both Pineda and Nova belong in the rotation, and should only be demoted if they pitch themselves out of a job. Turn them loose out of the starting gate and let them do their thing.

I did I piece on some of my favorite Yankee prospects for 2012 over at Pinstripe Alley, one of which is left handed pitcher Nik Turley. Here is what I had to say about him:

Nik Turley, LHP- A broken hand cut his ’11 campaign short, but what he showed at Charleston was certainly no joke (82.1 IP, 2.51 ERA, 82/21 K/BB). The key to Turley’s success was a step forward with his command, as he dramatically cut his walk rate down from his first year in the minors (4.23 at Low-A in ’10, 2.30 at Single-A in ’11). He has a workhorse frame (6-6, 230 lbs) that should stand up to a heavy workload, and may allow him to add a few more ticks on his low-90s fastball. A strong 2012 season could catapult him into the organization’s Top 10 prospect discussions.

A lefty with the potential for plus velocity, good control, and a legitimate out pitch? Sign me up! I see Turley as a player that could really rise in the Yankees system this year if he continues the upward trend he showed last season prior to his injury.

Manny Banuelos and Dellin Betances get all the hype in this system, but you shouldn’t sleep on Nik Turley.

This came from Sickels recent ‘All Questions Answered’ discussion on his website:

Question:

Wilmer Flores

The switch from SS to 3B is in full effect.

Can he take over for David Wright at the start of 2014?

He was drawing walks in the DWL, had a productive ST (albeit with a ton of errors, but to be expected) with good OBP and power numbers.

I do truly believe his FSL stats were deflated, and he will have a great AA campaign to put him back in the top 100?

Your thoughts, esp his ability to bounce back, work ethic, stay at 3B, etc?

Thanks in advance.

Answer:

Flores

Well…maybe but like I said before, I tend to skepticism about stuff like winter ball stats, or glowing scouting reports based on games that don’t count. If he can control the strike zone and show some pop in AA, then he could be in line for 2014, but that’s a big if.

I do think he has the physical tools…hands, range, arm, for third base. I’m not worried about error rate at this point. I’m more worried about the bat coming through.

 With Mike Pelfrey once again off to a terrible start in spring training, there has been chatter about the Mets possibly looking to trade or even cut Mike Pelfrey since his 2012 contract is not guaranteed if they cut him before a certain date.  He has a 14.90 ERA and a WHIP of 2.7 so far.  Both John Heyman of CBS sports and Mike Puma of the NY Post have weighed in on the subject in that past few days with Heyman saying the Mets would like to trade Pelfrey but there isn’t much of a market.  While Puma says the Mets have no discussed cutting Pelfrey outright.

I just don’t see either scenario happening simply because the Mets have no pitching depth.  They just don’t have anyone to absorb those innings if they part ways with Pelfrey and they aren’t going to get major league ready talent in return if they trade him. I hate the term ‘innings eater’ but thats what he is.  Pelfrey has been good for close to 200IP for each of the last four years.  I understand that the value of those innings goes down if he isn’t pitching effectively but the Mets right now aren’t in a position to be picky out where they get their innings from.  When a team has as little depth as the Mets, they aren’t in a position to just give away a horse like Pelfrey.

The only way I see Pelfrey being moved is if the Mets find a trade partner who has another pitcher in a similar situation as Pelfrey and they make a ‘change of scenery’ type move where they they exchange one promising yet disappointing player for another.  If that happens I wouldn’t be opposed to it, but that type of deal is difficult to get done and doesn’t happen all too often.

Forbes recently released their yearly reports on estimated MLB team values.  The Mets were valued at $719M and one of only two teams who’s value was down from last season. This report has become a hot topic among Mets fans the past few seasons in light of the the teams financial struggles.  But I have always been skeptical of what Forbes is doing here.

First, the MLB is a private organization that does not release it’s financial information.  Even though Forbes is a reputable publication that likely has resources to piece this information together, it’s impossible that they have all the information needed to make a proper valuation.

Second, even if Forbes were to have access to all of the financial records, professional sports franchises are not easy to value.  Forbes seems to treat these MLB teams like they are typical businesses, basing their valuations on the operations of the teams.  The Mets valuations for example directly correlate to the teams on field success and revenues.  Forbes’ highest valuation for the team was back at the start of 2009, when the Mets had just come off three straight winning seasons, and has been on a steady decline each year since, just like the team. The short term successes or failures just don’t effect the overall value of a team like that. The value of the team is based on the market, the fanbase, the potential etc. Not a few good or bad seasons.

A team is simply worth whatever someone is willing to pay for it, and determining the intangible value of owning a professional sports franchise is nearly impossible.  The oppurtunities to buy an MLB team, especially a large market team are so few and far between that it’s impossible to accuratley determine what type of premium a buyer would pay at any given time.

The Dodgers this season are a perfect example.  Forbes last season had them valued at $800M but this year bumped the valuation up 75% to $1,400M, based on the recent reported offers to buy the team.  This is the correct on the part of Forbes, but they didn’t take into account the comparable nature of other large market teams.  The valuation of the Dodgers is now completely askew from  the rest of the list.  The Dodgers are based on real market value while the other teams are not.

Are the Dodgers really worth twice as much as the Mets & Phillies?  Are they really worth 40% more than the Redsox?  Are they really even that close in value to the Yankees?  Logically the answer is no and it shows the limitations of trying to value such businesses. The Forbes list is fun to look at and creates alot of media fodder, but it is ultimately worthless in terms of determining the true value of an MLB team.

Some interesting thoughts from Maury Brown in his Baseball Prospectus chat:

ScottyB (Nyack, NY): The Madoff settlement was clearly great for the Wilpons, but isn’t it the worst of all outcomes for Mets fans (if there are any left?)- Wilpons don’t lose it all and thus can keep the team, but lose enough that it will constrain payroll for the foreseeable future?Maury Brown: Hey Scotty,
The worst of all outcomes would have been for Sterling (read: read Mets ownership) to have gone to trial, lose the case, and still be struggling. But, where we are now is probably a close second. Yes, the Mets now have revenue to keep them afloat through the season due to the sale of minority shares, but it’s a bandaid. Clearly, the Mets need to get it turned around in the standings to get fans to the ballpark. Here’s something to chew on… while anything could happen, I would not be surprised to see the Mets try and work a deal to sign Wright to an extension. Whether it’s done for baseball purposes, PR purposes, or both, inking Wright to an extension might be one method for Wilpon to put words into action (and possibly) save some face with fans.

I think just about every Mets fan realizes the way back to success if putting a winner on the field and getting fans in the seats. Having David Wright as part of that is a no-brainer, but is the club willing to get the deal done?

At the same time, does Wright fit into the current youth movement the Mets appear to be moving towards? In reality, no, but I think keeping him long term is the one way the franchise can get away with completing a rebuilding effort and continuing to keep people coming to the ballpark.

If Wright goes, the fans may just follow him right out of the park. That is, until another franchise star emerges, and that is no sure thing as of now. Ike Davis could be that guy, but he needs to have a strong 2012 to solidify his standing among the fan base.

What do you think the Mets should do with David Wright, with respect to the current direction of the organization, loyal fans?

Took part in the Yahoo Friends & Family baseball draft yesterday as a co-manager with fellow Why Guy Michael Salfino. Here is how our squad shook out:

WSJ-Salfino
1. (4) Ryan Braun
(Mil – OF)
2. (23) Mark Teixeira
(NYY – 1B)
3. (30) Ryan Zimmerman
(Was – 3B)
4. (49) Cole Hamels
(Phi – P)
5. (56) Asdrubal Cabrera
(Cle – SS)
6. (75) Craig Kimbrel
(Atl – P)
7. (82) Rickie Weeks
(Mil – 2B)
8. (101) Buster Posey
(SF – C)
9. (108) Coco Crisp
(Oak – OF)
10. (127) Carlos Beltran
(StL – OF)
11. (134) Ike Davis
(NYM – 1B)
12. (153) Jordan Zimmermann
(Was – P)
13. (160) Chris Sale
(CWS – P)
14. (179) Josh Beckett
(Bos – P)
15. (186) Kendrys Morales
(LAA – 1B,OF)
16. (205) Matt Joyce
(TB – OF)
17. (212) Angel Pagan
(SF – OF)
18. (231) Daniel Murphy
(NYM – 1B,2B,3B)
19. (238) Jonathan Broxton
(KC – P)
20. (257) Fautino De Los Santos
(Oak – P)
21. (264) Johan Santana
(NYM – P)
22. (283) Aaron Crow
(KC – P)
23. (290) Alcides Escobar
(KC – SS)
24. (309) Jordan Schafer
(Hou – OF)
25. (316) Jonathon Niese
(NYM – P)

Full draft results can be found here.

Overall, we’re really happy with this team. The key to the season will be our pitching, which we acquired on the cheap, for the most part. There is a fair amount of upside there though, so we were willing to take the risk.

Actually, it’s going to still be the Mets on austerity for a while, because of the financial obligations mentioned above. That means the Wilpons will be utterly dependent upon fan attendance revenue in order to maintain ownership. – Adam Rubin, ESPN.com

The big news of the day is that the Wilpon’s have settled their case with the Madoff Trustee before it went to trial. I’m not even going to bother with the details because they are still being sorted out, but the bottom line is that it would seem to be a very favorable settlement for the Wilpons. 

As a Mets fan I am happy because as I wrote the other day on this blog, all I was hoping for was resolution either way. Even though this is by all accounts a huge victory for the Wilpons (and the Mets), some will now downplay it and still insist on pushing the negativity. Pointing out the teams debt, low attendance, etc. 

Adam Rubin, along with Joe Beningo and Evan Roberts on WFAN quickly downplayed the decision. Joe and Evan immediately came on the air today and said that the settlement doesn’t mean much and that the Mets still have no money, and still won’t be able to spend on free agents, and still won’t be able to sign David Wright. 

I know a lot of people had there hearts set on the Wilpons going bankrupt and selling the team, but they can’t now play both sides of the field. For the last few years all we heard about was Madoff, and how it was the Wilpon’s personal finances killing the team.  When people mentioned low attendance or mounting debt, no one wanted to hear it, it was all the Wilpons and Madoff.  When the Mets claimed their personal finances weren’t effecting the teams finances, everyone called BS, and rightfully so, because it was. 

After making such a HUGE deal of the situation for so long, it comes off as kind of ridiculous that guys like Rubin and Beningo & Roberts come out today and downplay the settlement.  Now acting like it was never about Madoff, that it was always about baseball, low attendance, and stadium debt.   After all that, years of talking about the Madoff case, Beningo & Roberts talked to one guy from the Daily News about the settlement, then moved on to the Knicks, Peyton Manning, and March Madness. 

I like most people really have no idea exactly what this means for the team, and it will likely take some time for things to settle down. I know that there are fans who will never be happy as long as the Wilpons own the mets, but to me, having certainty and stability within the ownership can only be a good thing in the long run.