=== Jack Rabbit ===

Thanks for the post, man.  Nothing but net.

.

=== NYM ===

I can't even post on LL or USSM today because I don't want to catch their guff for stating how insignificant the loss of Langerhans is.

We get it, he's a plus defender and he's cheap. However, our management group saw him nothing more than an occasional pinch hitter or pinch runner. He was not going to serve a major role on this team, so losing him does not effect this team's chances of winning one iota. There is an argument to be made that if the roster was properly deployed that Langerhans would be somehwat valuable, but it was evident to me that managment really had no interest in giving him a bigger role than I outlined above.

To be honest, I hope Langerhans is claimed by somebody because Im tired of hearing about him and how valuable he is from the M's blog-o-sphere. I fully understand the concept of cheap talent and great defense, but the love Langerhans gets from a portion of our fanbase is too much to stomach at times.

.

=== Dr. D Sez ===

For a real hoot, catch Geoff Baker Live on April 8th. 

In his neutral, surfer-dude groove, he goes off for fully 20-30 minutes about how fed up he is, as well as NYM is, with the Seattle blog-o-sphere... click on the blog anywhere and you'll see him driving the paint with a dribble-uppercut to the face of anybody leaning in...

Geoff's main bullet points on the Langerhans kerfuffle:

• A fifth outfielder simply isn't going to play much
• This is an offense that needs to score a run or two
• Note carefully that the Mariners agree with Baker here
• Certain players become poster boys for "I tolja so"

Baker takes off and does his 360 tomahawk dunk with, "If you're going to root for players (e.g. Sweeney) to fail so that a few people on an internet chat site can think you're smart, you need to get a life.  Even sportswriters are above that.  Life's too short."

HEH!   :ah, man:

..........

Dr. D feels no pain vis-a-vis the blog-o-sphere generally or vs. LL in particular.  His basic reaction is, wow, didn't take long (1 win and 3 losses) for us monkeys to start screeching and throwing doo-doo, once the bananas didn't arrive on time.  :- )

C'mon.  If the Angels were 1-and-4, with a coupla 9th-, 10th-inning losses, would you be figuring a down year for them?

..........

As a roto dweeb, Dr. D is all too familiar with the fact that you can't afford to carry backups where you're already strong.

Franklin Gutierrez is going to play 155 games; Ichiro is going to play 160; Bradley has LF and Eric Byrnes is going to have trouble getting enough time as it is.   The backup OF, from a versatility standpoint, is now Tuiasosopo.

Even if you believed everything that Langerhans' fans believed about him? .... it's still just a question of mobilizing the Sixth Infantry (the 25th man) to a spot at which the enemy will actually attack.  Fifth-sixth OF wasn't the priority that other things have become.

...........

Here are Ryan Langerhans' OPS+ prior to age 31:

• 86:  Lifetime OPS+ in the NL
• 86:  OPS+ with the Mariners, targeted AB's vs pitchers he could hit
• .218/.311/.386:  what an 86 OPS+ looked like in Safeco
  

Ryan Langerhans has a slider-speed bat, an 86 career OPS+, and he is most assuredly not Endy Chavez with the mitt.  He was an okay sub for a while, but as poster boy for saber wisdom?, nah.  I'll take the specialized weapon:  Eric Byrnes with his platoon splits.

And Mike Sweeney's top end is a lot higher than .218/.311/.386.  B'lee Dat.

Cheers,

Dr D