Just some random MLB musings while we await my next big blog project.

*Nick Markakis is becoming the football Deion Sanders of baseball. "Huh!?!" I mean that in a good way. "No seriously BT1, huh?!?" It's time that teams stopped running on Nick Markakis the way teams just stopped throwing in the direction of Deion Sanders. Then again, I'd pay good money to see Nick drop a Gatorade (oops, G lightning bolt) bucket on Tim McCarver.

*MLB needs to consider allowing teams to trade draft picks, or at the very least, draft rights. It has become apparent that the Washington Nationals do not feel as if signability is a component of drafting. If they did, they would actually sign a draft pick. If the Nats won't pay, at leasst let them trade out of the spot to where they will pay. The Nats wound

If you are interested in the genesis of this entry, please see amarant00's "Bud Selig, Update The Record Books."

If you read my entry defending the modern ballplayer, you may be surprised to read this one. That said, the point was to say that baseball is essentially a timeless game with good players, bad players, and characters in any era. Rather than leave the typical Internet comment, I decided to expand my thoughts into an entry of my own. Quotes from the amarant's entry are italicized.

Major League Baseball should update their record books to make the game more modern.

Most baseball squawkers delineate in their mind between the modern era, and the era where the National League was Major League Baseball. Even so, there just aren't many career record holders who played in the pre-modern

When IJWMFTT started, it sought to be a critical blog on the sports radio world.   As time went by, other media drew my ire.  So when I get the chance to return to my roots, I take it.

In an earlier entry, I chronicled the failings of the Washington Nationals franchise.  Today, ESPN 980's The Locker Room With Kevin Sheehan unknowingly let us have a glimpse of that failing.  At every juncture, this team has overvalued itself.

Interim manager Jim Riggleman was on in an attempt to shed that title.  No not how you're thinking.  Most want to drop the interim.  If Nationals management were lsitening, I would seriously question both parts of the title that were bestowed upon him.

Riggleman was the bench coach, and sat alongside Manny Acta all season.  He saw the same games that you,

It's pretty much a law - one has to say that the greatest era of Saturday Night Live was the era that was on when they were fifteen.  Of course, noone expresses it in those terms.  It just shakes out that way.  At fifteen, you're still impressionable, but now you "get it."  You know who Colonel Angus is, but you're parents find him too dirty for television.  Of course, your parents will never admit that The Beatles were always considered hipsters with long hair.

Everything from your time was always white bread, mom, and apple pie.   (Oh and by the way, with the existence of wheat, pumpernickle, rye, sourdough, etc, why does white bread get the glory?)  Of course, we view our baseball in the same light. 

Much to my chagrin, I had to deal with

Let's give Bud Selig some credit.  Somehow the All-Star Game has become a three day sports talkfest.  Day one - the home run derby and celebrity game.  Day two - the game.  Day three - talk about the home field advantage stipulation. 

Longtime readers of IJWMFTT know that the Commissioner is, in my eyes, Emperor Bud.  Everything about him and his public persona exudes an "aw shucks" aura.  When he has to testify, he finds the worst sport jacket available.  It makes him look sympathetic.  Of course, for every "aw shucks" moment, he seems to get more power.  First it was the elimination of league offices.  Then it was the Mitchell report.  Then it was the "oh what the heck" extension he got from the owners after he told Dan Patrick

The home run derby serves to give us our Berman baseball fix.  Or is that his baseball fix? 

This event has been tweaked to try to make it better.  It used to be one round.  Three homers could win it.  Then they added rounds.  The drawback is that we have the occasional Hamilton/Morneau situation.  It is akin to Nate Robinson's 37 dunk attempts.  Andre Igoudala and Josh Hamilton probably shared a few beers.  Oh wait, perhaps not.  At least this year's winner was pretty much the best from beginning to end.

But most people seem to think that this derby lacked something.  Was it the lower totals?  Was it the lack of name recognition on the AL side?  Was it the umpteenth year of "Bawk bawk bawk?"  Was it the three

Some bullet points while we wait for the token "Do you like ASG format?" post.

*Alan Embree got a win this week.  He did it without throwing a pitch.  Embree came in and picked off a runner in a tie game.  The Rockies took the lead in the bottom of the inning.  Street came in to close out the ninth.  This got me to thinking: How come Embree could give one up in the gap and not be charged with the run that scores, but gets credit for the out that was made on the basepaths?  That seems a tad inconsistent.  

*Oh by the way, for those scoring at home, the Rockies won that game on an 8-5 double play in the eigth inning. 

*Keep your scorecards out, the Red Sox treated us to a 9-2 fielder's choice at the expense of the Royals.  I must ask,

As a subscriber to some SABR theories, I am called all sorts of nasty things.  People lob all sorts of allegations at me.  "If you actually watched baseball games..."  "Baseball is played on the field..." "You are sheep..."

The first of the bunch is funny.  Why would anyone spend any length of time on something they didn't enjoy?  The latter is infuriating.  What is sheepish about questionning 100+ years of baseball thinking?  The sac bunt is the sheep play.  There, I said it.  The "by the book logic" is what I question.  I'm not always right, but it's worth asking the questions. 

As proof of my non-sheepness, I give you my MLB manager rankings.  Why managers?  Well, this is where I differ from the SABR crowd. 

This may post twice.  Hooray new format!

The IJWMFTT manager rankings come out today!  For now, ponder this:  The Nationals and Astros completed a game that took place on May 5th.  A suspended game picks up where it left off.  Elijah Dukes was on first base.  One problem:  Dukes was demoted to Syracuse.  Solution:  Pinch runner enter stage stage right - Nyjer Morgan.  A hit and a Tejada error later, the Nats win.

So what's the problem?  On May 5th, Nyjer Morgan was a Pirate.  Oddly enough, Joel Hanrahan was the winning pitcher.  Hanrahan was part of the Morgan deal.  I just want to know how a Pittsburgh Pirates player can score a run for the Nationals.

Suspended games are an oddity.  Two years ago, when A-Rod