Abomination

Well, that stings if true. Yamaguchi had better find it quick next year I do think we'll see some big improvements from him, I'm just not sure they'll be big enough.

The tags for that article again point to Martino (literally, right at the bottom). I'm not saying he's wrong, just that (as far as I can tell) we only have one single source for all the contract discussion, and one who seems to only have ties to the Mets front office rather than any of Springer's reps. Heck, the article does not state that the Jays offer was 5 years, only the contract total. He's probably correct, but we'd be stupid to assume it.

As far as I remember seeing, Martino is the only one who's mentioned the offer totals for both teams. He may be pulling them out of his ass, or it's also possible the Jays have offered something like 4/115 and he only knew the total and assumed the term.

Hopefully it'll just trigger MLB to finally allow pre-approved substances. If pitchers can't use them, batters shouldn't be allowed to either.

We don't need to spend this offseason just because we can. If the right player can't be had, for whatever reason, there's nothing wrong with holding onto our flexibility for the trade deadline or offseason next year.

And Palmer was off to a terrible one. He's fighting back though. My lineup is in the weekend long one, so I'll just be happy if everyone makes it past the cut (assuming this tournament has one). I only entered one of the small ones since I didn't have time to research it.

I think the DK PGA Achievements start today too. The ironman one in particular.

I don't think I would be happy about that deal if it was to the Jays, particularly if there's no agreed upon extension.

My totally random lineup because I'm too busy to look stuff up tonight is Johnson, Finau, Smith, Ancer, Palmer, Cink.

There's probably very few reporters even paying attention to it atm.

Yeah, good to see. Baynes is a complete disaster though. He can't hold onto the ball, he can't shoot, he can't rebound if there's any traffic.

Even if we take that, which is not in line with the Cornell (unbiased) review which is based on actual costs of various college fields, when you factor in the initial cost over a recommended 10 year maximum period you get an additional 35K per year in cost for the artificial turf. I doubt the MLB teams will keep it in place for the recommended 10 years either. Regardless, we're talking about cost totals low enough that it isn't going to have any measurable impact on the decisions made by an MLB team.

This is what Cornell University says about the maintenance of artificial turf: [h=3]Routine Maintenance overview by Cornell University Sports Field Management:[/h] "Some basic practices must be made on a routine basis to protect your investment including: Measuring field hardness periodically to ensure the level of hardness is lower than the 200 Gmax level. At least once a year. Sweeping and dragging to keep the carpet fibers in an upright position. Once a week or once a month depending on use. Loosening and redistributing of infill (to improve footing, reduce static electricity and improve the look of the field). Groom fields before each game. Checking and replenishing the infill level especially in high use areas. The infill creates the padding and shock-absorption for the synthetic turf system and restores the field’s resiliency. At least once a year. It takes about 20 tons of crumb rubber to provide ¼ inch layer. Using a vacuum or leaf blower to remove debris like sunflower seeds. After each game. Cleaning with special solvents and cleansers with difficult to remove items. After each game. Treating with anti-microbial products to remove bacterial growth. Weekly to monthly. Troubleshooting for common problems and minor repairs, such as seam repair. Frequently. Removing snow during winter months."

Is it? It seems the lifespan of turf is only a couple years, and it isn't exactly cheap to replace. I'm pretty sure they have to do something to maintain the base it's on as well, so it's not like they can just set it and forget it.

As long as they're smart enough to design the stadium in such a way that they CAN put in grass if they decide to in the future.

I'm not even sure we need to. We need a replacement center (and a good one). We're getting killed there right now.

Paying Bauer what he's going to get scares me, and I'm not convinced he's a true ace. Catchers get beat up over the season, so I'd rather not spend huge amounts on them. Turner is a bigger upgrade for us than anyone else on the list, and it's not a painful commitment. If 3rd is filled, we don't need DJLM. I like Springer, and would love to have him, but I think the money can be better utilized spread out. None are long-term commitments, so they don't affect our future flexibility.

Turner, Joc, Hamels, Walker

Steph is having some kind of night. 45 points through 3.

Yeah, but it's usually stated as such (which is fine). Today's conjecture is presented as facts supported by "sources", which seem to be the voices in the journalist's head.

The media has forgotten that they're supposed to report on the news, not invent it.

And he'll probably get the MLB network to pay him for the rights to air it on TV too.

Hurl probably doesn't even know it happened yet.

He's being projected at 1.8 WAR, and put up 1.3 in 1/3 of a season last year. He shouldn't be plan A, but it's not like he can't help us either.

You mean this is the wiser version of you?