A (Matt) Holliday for Oakland
Some Cardinals fans are angry that general manager John Mozeliak failed to land outfielder Matt Holliday from the Colorado Rockies.
Others were glad the deal died, since the Cards have many needs and Holliday looked like a one-year rental.
Here is how some of the pundits broke down this deal:
Mark Kiszla, Denver Post: “Slugger Matt Holliday was the lucky one. He took his bat and got out of town. With a .319 career average, Holliday has departed in a trade to Oakland. He waved goodbye with customary quiet grace, despite being trashed by ownership in his final weeks as a member of the Rockies. For a franchise that prides itself on high character and a low payroll, the Rockies again proved in this deal it is far easier to be cheap than classy. And how frugal was it to spend all the goodwill of a World Series appearance like there’s no tomorrow?”
Dave Krieger, Rocky Mountain News: “Whether Holliday would stick around or go seek his fortune was determined last spring, when the Rockies offered him $72 million over four years - $18 million per. Holliday and his agent, Scott Boras, turned it down. And that was that. Both sides had sound reasons for their positions. Boras could see his client getting twice the money and more guaranteed years on the free-agent market, where big spenders such as the Yankees and Red Sox wage war over the available merchandise. The Rocks looked at the megadeals they had done in the past - Mike Hampton and Todd Helton - and decided they weren’t such a hot idea. Their age-regression studies showed guaranteeing big bucks after age 34 was a poor risk. And they knew from experience they were not in a position to absorb a megadeal gone bad.”
Ray Ratto, San Francisco Chronicle: “For one year of Holliday, the A’s are sending off Huston Street, the onetime closer for whom they no longer have a use; Greg Smith, the good-hitting left-handed pitcher who spent 2008 getting cuffed around more often than not; and Carlos Gonzalez, the outfielder who was - and we need to remind you of this - the Oaktown centerpiece in the Dan Haren deal that turned out so meh. In short, this looks like a trade that sets up another trade down the road rather than makes a bold and aggressive statement for the immediate future. The hamster wheel spins faster and faster but stays firmly bolted to the bottom of the cage.”
Tim Kawakami, San Jose Mercury-News: “People tell me Holliday might consider signing with the A’s for something less than $20M a year, that he isn’t built like Alex Rodriguez or Jason Giambi or Barry Zito or Manny Ramirez, that he doesn’t just want the most boffo deal to soothe his ego and pay for his night-clubbing. OK. I’ll believe that when I see it. And I believe this: His agent is Scott Boras. That I know and understand.”
Bottom line: Holliday will command a free-agent deal north of six years and $120 million after next season. Before that happens, A’s GM Billy Beane will move him another one of his trademark bailout trades.
MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE
Questions to ponder while the Rams defensive line tries to regain its manhood:
- Can Ryan Ludwick breathe easier, or will the Cards repackage him another deal to fill a team need?
- Did the Rams observe how competitive the 49ers were Monday night? Are they prepared to match that intensity?
- On the other hand, how will 49ers offensive coordinator Mike Martz handle all the second-guessing of his Monday night play-calling?
- And wasn’t it nice of 49ers interim coach Mike Singletary to distance himself from that play-calling after the game?
JIM HASLETT SHOULD HIRE THIS GUY
He sure helps USC.
QUIPS ‘R US
Here is what some of America’s leading sports pundits have been writing:
Greg Cote, Miami Herald: “Detroit and Denver in a big NBA trade, essentially Allen Iverson for Chauncey Billups. Charlotte coach Larry Brown likened it to ‘trading Marilyn Monroe for Jane Russell‘ — thus verifying he is 143 years old with a Jane Russell reference.”
Bill Simmons, ESPN.com: “Mike Singletary’s first postgame news conference broke the record for ‘most e-mails from readers making the exact same joke.’ In this case, some variation of, ‘How badly did Singletary want to be in the next Coors Light commercial?’ So, I guess one good thing has come out of the Singletary era. But Phil Simms made a great point recently: No truly successful coach would have tried the pants ploy or spitefully sent Vernon Davis to the locker room like that. That’s just not how the likes of Bill Belichick, Bill Cowher, Jeff Fisher, Tom Coughlin, Jon Gruden, Bill Parcells, Marty Schottenheimer and Tony Dungy handle their business. Aren’t those the guys you want to emulate? Hell, even Coughlin rejuvenated his career at an impossibly late age by drifting away from the tyrant routine and becoming more accessible and likable. It’s just weird to me that Singletary hasn’t seen where the league has been moving when he has been working in that same league.”
Dwight Perry, Seattle Times: “A 68-year-old woman died at a Blackhawks game last week, the Chicago Tribune reported — 22 years after the woman’s mother died while watching the NHL team play. Bet there’s no infighting over who inherits that season ticket.”
Mike Bianchi, Orlando Sentinel: “Did you see the celebration last week when Texas Tech beat Texas? The last time we saw the locals having so much fun in Lubbock was during the tumbleweed races at the Wacahoota County Prickly Pear Festival.”
MEGAPHONE
“When you have a team like that that comes into our house and we’re capable of beating them, that’s the first thing that comes to mind. We can’t figure out what man, but that’s what it looked like — some guys quit . . . We know if everybody didn’t quit, we would have won that ballgame.”
Browns receiver Josh Cribbs, on Cleveland’s 34-30 loss to Denver.
In case you missed it, a breakdown of the exciting ESPN post-game coverage after MNF:
Stu: Welcome to the post-game coverage of Monday Night Football. let’s get to it.
(Show a highlight)
Stu: Emmitt, how’d they do that?
Emmitt Smith: Blah Blah Blah
(Show a highlight)
Stu: Steve, why did they do that?
Steve Young: Blah Blah Blah
Rinse, recycle, and repeat.
This is the leader in sports? God they suck.
Nice game by Warner last night. I can’t help but root for the guy, and no one picks apart a defense the way he can if you give him a pocket to stand in. No one.
I’m glad we bailed on the Holliday Sweepstakes…
0 out of 5 stars for participation today ladies…
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
0 out of 5 for your comments, Tim. Dork.
11.11.2008 7:58 am
A (Matt) Holliday for Oakland
By Jeff Gordon
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Some Cardinals fans are angry that general manager John Mozeliak failed to land outfielder Matt Holliday from the Colorado Rockies.
Others were glad the deal died, since the Cards have many needs and Holliday looked like a one-year rental.
Here is how some of the pundits broke down this deal:
Mark Kiszla, Denver Post: “Slugger Matt Holliday was the lucky one. He took his bat and got out of town. With a .319 career average, Holliday has departed in a trade to Oakland. He waved goodbye with customary quiet grace, despite being trashed by ownership in his final weeks as a member of the Rockies. For a franchise that prides itself on high character and a low payroll, the Rockies again proved in this deal it is far easier to be cheap than classy. And how frugal was it to spend all the goodwill of a World Series appearance like there’s no tomorrow?”
Dave Krieger, Rocky Mountain News: “Whether Holliday would stick around or go seek his fortune was determined last spring, when the Rockies offered him $72 million over four years - $18 million per. Holliday and his agent, Scott Boras, turned it down. And that was that. Both sides had sound reasons for their positions. Boras could see his client getting twice the money and more guaranteed years on the free-agent market, where big spenders such as the Yankees and Red Sox wage war over the available merchandise. The Rocks looked at the megadeals they had done in the past - Mike Hampton and Todd Helton - and decided they weren’t such a hot idea. Their age-regression studies showed guaranteeing big bucks after age 34 was a poor risk. And they knew from experience they were not in a position to absorb a megadeal gone bad.”
Ray Ratto, San Francisco Chronicle: “For one year of Holliday, the A’s are sending off Huston Street, the onetime closer for whom they no longer have a use; Greg Smith, the good-hitting left-handed pitcher who spent 2008 getting cuffed around more often than not; and Carlos Gonzalez, the outfielder who was - and we need to remind you of this - the Oaktown centerpiece in the Dan Haren deal that turned out so meh. In short, this looks like a trade that sets up another trade down the road rather than makes a bold and aggressive statement for the immediate future. The hamster wheel spins faster and faster but stays firmly bolted to the bottom of the cage.”
Tim Kawakami, San Jose Mercury-News: “People tell me Holliday might consider signing with the A’s for something less than $20M a year, that he isn’t built like Alex Rodriguez or Jason Giambi or Barry Zito or Manny Ramirez, that he doesn’t just want the most boffo deal to soothe his ego and pay for his night-clubbing. OK. I’ll believe that when I see it. And I believe this: His agent is Scott Boras. That I know and understand.”
Bottom line: Holliday will command a free-agent deal north of six years and $120 million after next season. Before that happens, A’s GM Billy Beane will move him another one of his trademark bailout trades.
MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE
Questions to ponder while the Rams defensive line tries to regain its manhood:
Can Ryan Ludwick breathe easier, or will the Cards repackage him another deal to fill a team need?
Did the Rams observe how competitive the 49ers were Monday night? Are they prepared to match that intensity?
On the other hand, how will 49ers offensive coordinator Mike Martz handle all the second-guessing of his Monday night play-calling?
And wasn’t it nice of 49ers interim coach Mike Singletary to distance himself from that play-calling after the game?
JIM HASLETT SHOULD HIRE THIS GUY
He sure helps USC.
QUIPS ‘R US
Here is what some of America’s leading sports pundits have been writing:
Greg Cote, Miami Herald: “Detroit and Denver in a big NBA trade, essentially Allen Iverson for Chauncey Billups. Charlotte coach Larry Brown likened it to ‘trading Marilyn Monroe for Jane Russell‘ — thus verifying he is 143 years old with a Jane Russell reference.”
Bill Simmons, ESPN.com: “Mike Singletary’s first postgame news conference broke the record for ‘most e-mails from readers making the exact same joke.’ In this case, some variation of, ‘How badly did Singletary want to be in the next Coors Light commercial?’ So, I guess one good thing has come out of the Singletary era. But Phil Simms made a great point recently: No truly successful coach would have tried the pants ploy or spitefully sent Vernon Davis to the locker room like that. That’s just not how the likes of Bill Belichick, Bill Cowher, Jeff Fisher, Tom Coughlin, Jon Gruden, Bill Parcells, Marty Schottenheimer and Tony Dungy handle their business. Aren’t those the guys you want to emulate? Hell, even Coughlin rejuvenated his career at an impossibly late age by drifting away from the tyrant routine and becoming more accessible and likable. It’s just weird to me that Singletary hasn’t seen where the league has been moving when he has been working in that same league.”
Dwight Perry, Seattle Times: “A 68-year-old woman died at a Blackhawks game last week, the Chicago Tribune reported — 22 years after the woman’s mother died while watching the NHL team play. Bet there’s no infighting over who inherits that season ticket.”
Mike Bianchi, Orlando Sentinel: “Did you see the celebration last week when Texas Tech beat Texas? The last time we saw the locals having so much fun in Lubbock was during the tumbleweed races at the Wacahoota County Prickly Pear Festival.”
MEGAPHONE
“When you have a team like that that comes into our house and we’re capable of beating them, that’s the first thing that comes to mind. We can’t figure out what man, but that’s what it looked like — some guys quit . . . We know if everybody didn’t quit, we would have won that ballgame.”
Browns receiver Josh Cribbs, on Cleveland’s 34-30 loss to Denver.
Tags: Matt Holliday, Mike Singletary, Ryan Ludwick, Will Ferrell
Way to man up and post G. Go tell daddy what a big man you are now.
I thought it was Re-Pete, with a hyphen?