Why Do I Still Watch Pardon the Interruption?

I've been DVRing PTI for the last few years. I don't watch it every day – in fact, if I don't watch it the same day it airs, I'll delete it – but, it's a fine simple-minded diversion for those of us who live in a town without a decent sports-talk radio presence.

Sadly, for sports fans, PTI lost its relevance a long time ago. Hard to believe that hosts Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser were once considered entertaining in that irreverent old-man kind of way. These days, they spend 30 minutes coddling their favorites (Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, any sports league in bed with ESPN); reveling in their ignorance (hockey) and ranting against anything invented after 1865 (blogs, newfangled baseball stats).

Yesterday, however, I couldn't turn away.

Y'see, anytime Kornheiser works a Monday Night Football outside of the Washington DC metro area, he takes Tuesday off. In recent weeks, this has meant a guest spot from Dan LeBatard – a polarizing personality, but one I find tremendously insightful. LeBatard doesn't buy into silliness of "grit" and "chemistry-leads-to-winning" and he's not afraid to challenge the lazy ways of today's sports journalism.

Instead of LeBatard, we got erstwhile Sports Illustrated writer Rick Reilly.

Reilly is probably a whole other post. Since coming over to ESPN last year, he's been given the "back page" gig with their branded magazine AND he's been eased into a recurring role on television.

Now, I know it's cliché for anonymous bloggers to bash broadcasters, but Reilly is simply all…kinds…of awful. Yesterday, he and Wilbon vomited nonsense on three baseball issues that I happen to know a little bit about:

On Tim Lincecum: The Giants phenom won the Cy Young Award in the National League. He was absolutely the best starting pitcher in the NL last year, but Reilly and Wilbon were practically apoplectic at the selection. Like most morons, they looked at Brandon Webb's 22 wins and stopped right there. After that, they threw out Brad Lidge and CC Sabathia as names that were also more deserving.

On Matt Holliday: Reilly's home base is Denver, so you'd think he'd have some special insight on the trade moving the slugging OF to Oakland. His lament that the Rockies were getting "nothing in return" isn't the least bit surprising in its stupidity. Now, I wouldn't expect any national sports columnist to know anyone on the A's, but come on. There are still a few hundred people out there who think journalists and sportscasters have credibility.

On the San Diego Padres: Wilbon mispronounced the surname of Padres' owner John Moores, while Reilly recycled the same lame stadium joke he used two minutes earlier about the Rockies to describe a reason why Padres fans should come watch the home team.

I just don't know if I can watch this show anymore. This week.

2008 Final A'ssessment – Infielders

Daric Barton – 1B

.226 BA .327 OBP .348 SLG

The Good News: After bottoming out offensively with a .595 OPS on August 21, Barton hit .307/.418/.525 over his final 124 plate appearances (31 games). His defense noticeably improved throughout the year – in fact the relatively esoteric stat RZR ranked him as one of the top gloves at first base in all of baseball.

The Bad News: Though purely coincidental, the A's nosedive immediately after the All-Star break coincided with Barton's face-dive into the shallow end of a swimming pool during the All-Star Break. As a hitter, Barton spent long stretches of the season muscling up and trying to pull the ball. His ceiling is probably more Mark Grace than Mark McGwire, but the A's coaches either failed to convey this message to Barton or he ain't listening.

2009 Outlook: A's upper management can be gloriously vindictive when their players say/do stupid things. So, the fact that Barton wasn't punished beyond a mild reprimand for his dumb-ass Aquaman impression says that he's (1) still in the team's long-term plans or (2) was brought back (after a 15-day DL stint) to build up his trade value. He's only 23-years-old, so he'll at least be the starter on Opening Day.

Mark Ellis – 2B

.233 BA .321 OBP .373 SLG

The Good News: Pretty much every fielding metric – from basic to sophisticated – has Ellis as the best defensive second baseman in the Majors. That, combined with the memory of his fluke-tastic 2005 season (.316/.384/.477) has ensured that he'll be forever overrated to some extent by A's fans. Ellis was named to the A's 40th Anniversary team which, as a "highlight", sums up his season nicely.

The Bad News: From the middle of June until the end of Ellis' injury-shortened season in late August, he hit .196/.287/.289. He also was tremendously unlucky in 2008, as his batting average on balls in play (BABIP) was under .250. The A's became a steaming heap of unwatchability down the stretch and Ellis often set the tone with his 325 mediocre plate appearances in the leadoff and #2 spot, combined.

2009 Outlook: Ellis re-signed with the A's for two years and $11 million after the season. The deal's been panned by a lot of A's fans, but I'm OK with it. He'll be perfectly league-average at the plate next season when his BABIP returns to a semblance of normalcy, while his defense remains ridiculously underrated. Likely to remain completely devoid of personality, though.

Bobby Crosby – SS

.237 BA .296 OBP .349 SLG

The Good News: Inexplicably named the A's MVP of the first half by the team's mlb.com beat writer due to a hot three weeks to start the season (.312/.368/.475). Those 20 games bought him a season-long pass from uninformed fans and media who continue to couch their denial of his awfulness with clichés like "…if only he could stay healthy…".

The Bad News: 2008 was Crosby's healthiest season since his rookie campaign in 2004. After his first 20 games, he hit .225/.284/.328. He finished the year as the worst hitting shortstop (.645 OPS) in all of baseball and the third worst hitter – position be damned – in the Majors. Worse than Jeff Francoeur. Worse than Jason Kendall! Willy Taveras and Michael Bourn should forfeit their salaries for finishing behind Crosby.

2009 Outlook: For all of the accolades that have been heaped upon GM Billy Beane - Boy Genius, it's a damning indictment of the A's player development that they have NO ONE in the system whom they trust with the everyday shortstop job more than Crosby. No way my favorite frugal franchise eats the $5.25M he's due in the final year of his idiotic contract, so I'm hoping they give him away this winter.

Jack Hannahan – 3B

.218 BA .305 OBP .342 SLG

The Good News: Finished two points ahead of Bobby Crosby in OPS last season. A career minor-leaguer, Hannahan got his first everyday job in the Majors in 2008 at the age of 28. Consequently, his 501 plate appearances is about 250 more than he should ever, ever see in any single season for the rest of his career.

The Bad News: Meh. I can't be too snarky here. Hannahan is a quadruple-A talent who was forced into a regular role at a level that's too high for his softball-league swing. Once the league stopped throwing him fastballs, he was exposed on a nightly basis by even below-average breaking stuff.

2009 Outlook: Hannahan's ceiling is that of a spare part on an also-ran squad. He can play the infield corners and take the occasional walk in what should be one or two starts per week. If his '09 involves anything more than that, here's hoping it's with another team.

And, the Rest… Oakland's annual AARP roster spot went to 34-year-old DH/1B Mike Sweeney. He hit a little in April, missed most of the season due to injury and then caused a minor stink when he was released in September. Eric Patterson came over in the Rich Harden trade. His two claims to fame: he's Corey Patterson's brother and he weighs 86 lbs. Eric Chavez only played in 23 games and, for the first time in five years, we can't blame him for this sh*t.

A's Acquire Matt Holliday…and I'm Not Sure Why

After being quietly linked to Colorado Rockies OF Matt Holliday since the end of the season, the A's "surprised" the national media that generally ignores all things Oakland by (reportedly) agreeing to a deal.

Holliday for OF Carlos Gonzalez, SP Greg Smith and RP Huston Street

I'm way behind in my A's 2008 player post-mortems, but here's a quick synopsis of the talent in line to leave Oakland:

Carlos Gonzalez - Formerly the top prospect in the Diamondbacks' chain, he came over in the Dan Haren 6-for-2 blockbuster last winter. Racked up 302 at-bats for the A's in '08. Raw and undisciplined on offense (13 walks all season), dogged by questions about his attitude and absence of power.

Greg Smith - Also part of the Haren deal, Smith made 32 starts for the A's last year. His pickoff move is the one great skill he brings to the mound. Otherwise, his ceiling appears to be a number three or four starter. Supporters point to his abject lack of run support all season (3.12/start), but I point to his terrible BB/K ratio.

Huston Street - Lost the closer's job in Oakland in August. I don't normally buy into the seam-head notion that closer's are wired any differently than other relievers (the immortal Tim Worrell once saved 57 games over a two year stretch) but, Street's one of those guys who can't seem to shake off a blown save like the great ones.

Holliday is a very good player, but I just don't see how he fits on the A's

ESPN used a park-adjusted projection that states Holliday's 2008 OPS would've been just 26 points lower in Oakland. Now, I know this is uncharted territory for bloggers, but I'm calling bullsh*t on the World Wide Leader in Sports.

.357/.423/.645 – Career AT Coors Field
.280/.348/.455 – Career AWAY FROM Coors Field

Look, I get that Holliday would become the A's best player, but this team finished two dozen games behind the Angels in '08. He ain't making up that difference by himself. And, not to beat this to death, but last year was the first season since 2005 that Holliday's home/road slugging splits were within 100 points of each other. In 2007, the difference was 240 points and in 2006 it was 320 points.

On the surface, it seems like the trade equivalent of all those big-name free agent signings the Orioles were famous for this decade. The Miguel Tejadas, Rafael Palmeiros and Ramon Hernandez were all brought in to show the fans that Baltimore was competing…right to their annual fourth place finish.

Something else has got to be at work here. The A's may try to flip Holliday to St. Louis – where he was also rumored to go or maybe they'll see if the Dodgers have any interest if Los Angeles can't re-sign Manny. Regardless, there is no way on erf that Matt Holliday will be an Oakland A in 2010.

By itself, this is just a really weird deal. Gonzalez's perceived value as a top prospect has probably taken a bit of a hit, but "potential" is still value in this league. Street pitched better down the stretch and earned an opportunity to close again. Both of these guys and a young starter for a guy who won't get the A's any higher than second place?

This is a really weird deal.

Confidential to Mrs. Bootleg

TBG's 2008 NFL Pickin' - Week #10

Last Week:
Aaron: 11-3 (0-1 vs. the spread)
Joe: 9-5 (1-0)
Tom: 8-6 (1-0)

Season to Date:
Joe: 85-45 (5-4 vs. the spread)
Aaron: 84-46 (4-5)
Tom: 67-63 (5-4)

Denver at Cleveland (Thursday Night)
Aaron: Shout out to my local CBS affiliate for airing the Broncos/Dolphins game last week. That up close and personal look at Denver's horrific defense was a darn fine reference point for this pick. Pick: Cleveland

Joe: Brady Quinn in his first NFL start in a primetime nationally sporadically-televised game would seem to be a buffet invitation for an NFL defense. Lucky for him, he's not facing an NFL defense. I want to pick the Broncos here, but I also want to stick to my one-on, one-off strategy for picking Browns games. Football is hard! Pick: Denver

Tennessee at Chicago
Aaron: One bandwagon insists the Titans are for reals. The other is calling for a Bears "upset" win this week. I say they're both wrong. Brain teaser! Pick: Tennessee

Joe: Yeah, I think I've finally turned the corner and am now pulling for the Titans to go 16-0, followed by a humiliating home loss in the AFC playoffs. At which point I will coin the phrase "Music City Mega-Choke" and I will laugh and laugh. Pick: Tennessee

Jacksonville at Detroit
Aaron: When a rusty Rex Grossman is able to come of the bench and lead a comeback win against the Lions last week, it's time to consider forfeiting next season. Pick: Jacksonville

Joe: They're gonna get a win sometime. The question is, does Jacksonville drop two straight to winless teams? Not to Daunte Culpepper, they don't. Pick: Jacksonville

Seattle at Miami
Aaron: As a rule, teams from the west always lose road games when traveling to the east, especially when the team from the west is Seattle. Pick: Miami

Joe: Is Miami really about to go 5-4? One more win after that and they're bowl eligible! Pick: Miami

Green Bay at Minnesota
Aaron: After a long stretch of dormancy, that Vikings offense has looked quite spry lately. They're the NFL equivalent of McCain's concession speech. Eh? Eh? And, how 'bout Michelle Obama's "victory" dress? Did you see that big 'X' across the front? The first letter I thought of was "why"? The next four were "WNBA". Eh? Screw you guys. I'm still funnier than DL Hughley. Pick: Minnesota

Joe: The Packers always do well in the Metrodome, right? I have these images of long Brett Favre TD passes and such. Big day for Aaron Rodgers this week ... just in time for me to play against him in fantasy ball. Damn it! Pick: Green Bay

Baltimore at Houston
Aaron: Home or road, the Ravens have beaten every average-to-awful team they've played this year. I think it's safe to say the Texans fall within that realm. Pick: Baltimore

Joe: Baltimore better hope they can win this one; their schedule gets retarded after this one. And honestly? I like the Houston offense here. Pick: Houston

St. Louis at N.Y. Jets
Aaron: Back in September, everyone predicted that Brett Favre would ultimately break the hearts of Jets fans. The script says he needs a little mid-season renaissance to set up the audience for his tragic third act. Can't wait! Pick: NY Jets

Joe: I can't tell whether it's my gut telling me to go with the Rams or my heart wanting to see the Jets get beat. I can tell that Marc Bulger had an awful game last week and Steven Jackson is once again not playing. Pick: NY Jets

New Orleans at Atlanta
Aaron: My theory here is that the Falcons had their life-force sucked out of them after playing Oakland's collection of corpses and zombies last week. Implausible? Prove me wrong. Pick: New Orleans

Joe: I agree the Saints probably win here, but the Falcons are for-realsies. Pick: New Orleans

Buffalo at New England
Aaron: The Bills have scored just 17 points or less in three of their last four games – a stretch that followed their 4-0 start and coronation as the new kings of the AFC East. "Who dares interrupt my coronation?!" "Coronation, Starscream? This is bad comedy." Pick: New England

Joe: NERD! Pick: Buffalo

Carolina at Oakland
Aaron: Lament of a Raiders fan – I forgot to swap out Jay Cutler (who started on Thursday) for Jake Delhomme in my money league this week. Trapped at work – where ALL things "fantasy" (trust me, ALL of her them) are blocked, I'll have to settle for nothing from this game. Pick: Carolina

Joe: Jay Cutler: 447 yards passing, 3 touchdowns. Who knew the Raiders made their FANS suck at talent evaluation too? Pick: Carolina [Ed. Note: In my defense, I wrote my piece BEFORE the Thurs. night game. Cough.]

Indianapolis at Pittsburgh
Aaron: The only way the Steelers lose this game is if their 11 defensive players fall victim to 11 separate misfortunes and are unable to play Sunday. Three misfortunes? That's possible. Seven misfortunes? There's an outside chance. But, 11 misfortunes? I'd like to see that! Pick: Pittsburgh

Joe: Considering Pittsburgh is starting the cast of George Romero's next "...of the Dead" movie on offense, I'm going to stick with the Colts here. Pick: Indianapolis

Kansas City at San Diego
Aaron: The Chargers are due for one of those blowout wins that signals their eighth or ninth resurgence this season. This is that game. Again. Pick: San Diego

Joe: Dear LaDanian Tomlinson's Toe: Please accept this gift of a soft, squishy Chiefs defense and let it nurse you back to health. Pick: San Diego

N.Y. Giants at Philadelphia
Aaron: I'm beginning to think I've been wrong about the Giants. But, I'll need another week of convincing. Pick: Philadelphia

Joe: And I continue to thank you for your doubt. Pick: NY Giants

San Francisco at Arizona
Aaron: So, when a player intentionally usurps the spotlight from his team = bad…when it's 49ers head coach Mike Singletary = good? Pick: Arizona

Joe: Please don't ruin the Mike Singletary Experience for me like you rained on El Carnivale de Ocho Cinco for three years. I don't ask for much. Pick: Arizona

The Sure-Thing Suicide Spread

Aaron: San Francisco (+9 1/2) at Arizona
Joe: St. Louis (+9) at NY Jets

Morning (and Evening) in Obama's America

7:45 AM, Jalen's Preschool - One of the oddest aspects of living in ultra-conservative San Diego is that, politically, everyone seems to think alike. Consequently, I've lost count of the number of times that friends, co-workers and random San Diegans simply assume I share their viewpoints by virtue of my zip code. I hadn't even taken my son out of his car seat when another parent went off on Obama's win with the usual local lament of those damn, dirty liberals in Los Angeles and San Francisco cancelling out the virtuous voters of San Diego. Hey, I was born in Long Beach (LA County). HEY!

8:15 AM, 7-11 - After a half-dozen stops before work, I've come to the conclusion that there's not one newspaper left in this town. I'm setting the over/under for the eBay "Buy it Now" price of the November 5th New York Times at $99.99.

11:30 AM, Unnamed Defense Contractor - Little tense around the office today! The conversations about last night's election results all came to a screeching halt whenever I walked past my co-workers in the file room, the break room or on my way to the double-wide handicapped stall in the men's room. (F*ck, no newspaper there, either.) Really, co-workers? Really? Now, you're assuming I voted for Obama even though – as a rule – I never talk politics at work? Did none of you read the first paragraph of this post?

8:00 PM, Stately Bootleg Manor - Mrs. Bootleg's hairdresser called and invited us to…an Obama victory party on Saturday night. Come on. Black people. Come on. I mean, 72 hours notice? Whatever shall I wear?! Oh, who am I kidding…Sunday is my sixth wedding anniversary. The wife and I already scheduled a date night for the 8th. Still, the party's only going to be a couple of miles from us. AND, the potential for blog fodder is off the freakin' charts. Stay tuned.


…and a forgotten anecdote from Election Night:

Mrs. Bootleg: "Be sure to save all the receipts from our donations to Obama's campaign."

Me: "Uhh…I'm pretty sure that campaign donations aren't tax-deductable."

Mrs. Bootleg: "Are you sure?"

Me: "Pretty sure."

Mrs. Bootleg: "…"

The Curious Case of Proposition 8

It's not hard to notice the irony.

California – my home state – propelled Barack Obama over the finish line and into history, while simultaneously spitting in the face of our gay and lesbian populace who rejoiced just as loudly as me when Obama won the presidency.

Make no mistake: the politics of uninformed fear and outright lies is alive and well in this country. Credit where it's due, as the supporters of Proposition 8 controlled the narrative from the get-go, while the opponents didn't even begin their blitz until polls showed the measure gaining ground at the end of summer.

Proposition 8 was distorted from its homespun, bible-toting bigoted roots and thrown further down the sewer until it became good ol' "won't somebody PLEASE think of the children?!" claptrap:



In response, the opposition floated this spineless spot that inexplicably targeted the minority of undecided voters, instead of attempting to sway soft or moderate supporters:



By the time Proposition 8 opponents finally found an effective context – correctly framing the measure in a historic civil rights context to win over the veritable goldmine of minorities in this state – it was too late:



And, wouldn't you know, that the same Blacks and Hispanics who've been so marginalized by the extremist right are the ones who helped push Proposition 8 over the top. Democracy!

There is a silver lining, I suppose. The defeat of this measure has only served to further galvanize the gay and lesbian communities, along with their friends and families. Lawsuits have already been filed and based on my close physical proximity with the legal department at the Unnamed Defense Contractor, I'm guaranteeing victory* at the end of the day.

* - Not a guarantee.

Seriously though, however this matter is ultimately decided – win or lose – it's not the end, either way. Just as the 13th Amendment fell a wee bit short of solving Black America's issues, the issue of gay rights has generations of chapters still to be written. I, for one, would love to read the ending. I'll probably skip the acknowledgements section at the very very end, though.

This is gonna be a long-ass book.