TwistedLogic

If my analogy of the Kenny Williams thing looking like a bad high school break up wasn't clear enough...

The Kenny Williams Saga: I'm starting to actually feel bad for Kenny here, for how much he comes off as someone who was just dumped in public, LOL. "Permission neither granted nor denied"? What does that even mean? If he wasn't granted permission, how exactly do you classify that?

Blue Jays Stuffs:

http://i.gyazo.com/74426eb3fbbb8bae4aca9eea025c4c20.png Two men are facing mischief charges after a sandwich order gone wrong led to a snake-throwing confrontation at a Tim Hortons restaurant in Saskatoon. Police say the 20-year-olds began arguing with an employee because they wanted their onions diced. The argument got worse, and one of the men pulled a snake from his friend’s pocket and threw it behind the counter. Officers called to the scene were able to quickly locate the snake and determined it was non-poisonous. The two men were arrested nearby. Police have found a temporary home for the snake until it can be released into the wild next spring.

http://www.havasworldwide.com/multimedia/images/our-work/2-0-1-case-studies-large-dosequis-c-740x415px.jpg Don't ask me how I went from Paul Blart to the Dos Equis dude. Ang's origin story changed my perspective.

Probably not a stretch, though I think I see intelligence agents in the DR somewhat like this: http://www.worstpreviews.com/images/mallcop.jpg

I'm not sure it means that he'll be fired. Anthopoulos' contract expires at the end of next season, so it's probably just speculation on the part of these "reporters" that if he doesn't make the playoffs in his final year with the team, his contract won't be renewed. Which, for all intents and purposes, isn't the biggest stretch. That still doesn't mean it'll happen. The morons at the helm of Toronto sports media have been speculating that AA is on the "hot seat" for three years. They said the Marlins trade was a due or die for him. He's still here. AA is a professional, and he's already addressed these concerns in an interview a week or two ago, when he said that he's not even thinking about his contract with the team. He said he feels the second you start to look at your own job security is when you start making the wrong kind of decisions for your team. You'd hope every GM feels the same way, but with guys like Moore and Jack-Z out there, we all know that isn't true.

http://i.gyazo.com/6c1cdcecaba19bebc63eee27a7384b93.png Minnesota Twins general manager Terry Ryan is reportedly high on a list of names to potentially replace Toronto Blue Jays president and CEO Paul Beeston. But despite spending three decades in the Twins' front office, Ryan doesn't believe he's qualified for the rumored promotion. "I don't have the skill set to be a president," Ryan told MLB Network Radio on Monday. "I'm very humbled to have my name included." Ryan, 61, was one of several names included in multiple reports Sunday claiming that the Blue Jays are actively pursuing a successor to Beeston, whose contract reportedly expired Oct. 31. Baltimore Orioles executive vice president and general manager Dan Duquette and Kenny Williams of the Chicago White Sox were among the other names linked to the position. Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun later reported Beeston will remain in his role next season. This makes me gain some respect for Ryan. Of the three guys mentioned, he seems to have had the best composure in this situation by far. Dan seems like a mouse caught in a trap, while Kenny comes off like a hopeless, broken-hearted fool.

I haven't followed him very closely, but based on what I've read from other people over the years (this stuff could be inaccurate), he was a pretty good GM with the Expos, a lot of the guys on the 2004 World Series team were leftovers of Duquette's work in Boston, and he seems to have done a pretty damn swell job in turning around the O's. Seems to have a pretty good track record, and a lot of fans in the cities he's managed. Then again, he did sign Ubaldo Jimenez, so he can't be all that great, amirite? I'm kidding... partially.

Updates Around the Game (1:30 PM EST) Baseball America had Joe Wendle on the back-end of the Indians top 30 prospects, lol

Potentially relevant update on Jed Lowrie: http://i.gyazo.com/6b5f6ea336958dbfbe83d97fd4f92d7c.png SAN DIEGO — Third baseman Jed Lowrie would have a different ring to it. Former Astros shortstop and current free agent Jed Lowrie still owns a home in Houston. The Astros have a stated need to upgrade their hitting on the infield and on the left side of the infield particularly, and Lowrie would fit that bill. What might make the 30-year-old Lowrie a particularly intriguing fit for the Astros is that he has been in contact with all teams that have interest in him at not only shortstop, but second base and third base as well, a baseball source told the Chronicle on Monday. The Astros check off two of those three boxes. Click headline for full article.

Twitter Updates (1:00 PM EST)

For those unfamiliar with this weekend, here's a glossary of Winter Meetings jargon by SB Nation:

I guarantee you that AA must have explored it as much as he could have. He had nothing to lose if he included him in the trade for Donaldson, and Moss was perfect for this club. AA even has a glut of s***** middle-of-the-road journeymen middle infielders that he could have dealt (Goins, Izturis, Valencia, Tolleson, Kawasaki if he comes back). It's probably yet another case of a specific player that a GM really likes (Fister trade for what, Robbie Ray? Donaldson trade for Lawrie), where fans of every other team wonder why they weren't in on it. It should also be noted (despite probably being completely irrelevant), Moss was one of the players that spoke up after the Donaldson trade. The other was Reddick.

The guy's a damn stooge.

Moss to Indians is a done deal. Looks like a 1-for-1 for Joe Wendle.

You're right, and I knew that, but I don't know why I keep doing that.

Decent chance that the first trade of the meetings is Moss to the Indians

Wow, Harold Reynolds is such a f***ing moron. It's so awkward seeing the guys sitting next to him with how uncomfortable they get, having to salvage the situation every single time he opens his mouth. He seriously just proposed the idea of a team trading for CJ Wilson, absorbing his 38M contract for the next two years, and turning him into a closer. Last night, he proposed the Giants make up for the loss of Panda by moving Posey to third base. Every time he says something, the guys next to him seem so embarrassed and awkward about it. Such painful TV. It's hard to fathom how someone who has been around this game for so long is so excruciatingly dumb and oblivious.

Updates From Around the Game (11:30 EST): MLBTR Moss closer to being traded: http://i.gyazo.com/8a32775e768ab55b60fd0fd66cd962b2.png Nationals continue pursuing an extension with Zimmerman: http://i.gyazo.com/0eba03029c5488818625beb4e5ffcfc9.png Padres likeliest team to acquire Kemp: http://i.gyazo.com/717ee59f54c2b9460c10a89f5653864a.png Twitter

News from around baseball (11:00 EST): (Article) National Post: Charting the Blue Jays needs, position by position (using Wins Above Replacement) (Article) Jon Heyman: Free Dan Duquette; Peter Angelos should allow GM to look at Jays opportunity (Image) MLB Network: Dan Duquette looks like Dan Aykroyd (Article) Baseball America: Angels Top 10 Prospects (Article) Fangraphs: Debut Piece for Nathaniel Grow: Minor League Salaries Challenged in New Antitrust Lawsuit Key Tweets: MLBTR: http://i.gyazo.com/b236f979c413ccd514005667c18b95ab.png

Gomes+Aviles for Rogers, even when Gomes wasn't considered good, was a bad trade. Snider for Lyon, even though it doesn't look hideous in hindsight, was a bad trade. Napoli for Francisco, no matter when you look at it, was a really bad trade. Francisco Cordero on a 4.5M contract was a bad signing. I'm one of AA's biggest supporters, but his track record in acquiring relievers is really not the best.

Thirteen hours of Winter Meetings coverage starting live on the MLB Network at 11:00 AM (right now). Stream here for those that don't have Rogers/subscription.

Anyone remember the reports that Grilli turned down a bigger offer from the Jays to sign with the Pirates a couple years ago? Might be something to keep in the back of your mind, since in the past, AA has been known to go after players that he's long admired. I'd love if they considered him. He hit something f***ed up like 39 homers last season in the KBO. Granted, the league's a hitter's paradise, but even a greatly reduced version of what he was there will profile well at 2B.