Tank

they were in close proximity to the soviet union and they allowed us to build an air base. outside of that, i'm not sure there's really a good reason. they play by their own rules a lot of the time. the fact that it's been over a hundred years since the armenian genocide and we can't officially acknowledge it out of fear of pissing off the turks tells you something of the character of that country and our somewhat tenuous relationship with them.

SHUT UP!! they're gonna hear you! now i have to prepare, just in case . . .

thanks, eli. i think most of us keep it rather simple, and i'll honestly admit that i don't go into very much detail, usually just looking at things like avg/obp/slg/ops. i think counting stats have some value because as i watch a game, i can see a double or a homer or a ground out, but i can't see a WAR or a BABIP, etc. i also understand that baseball is a game of layers, and that the SABR stats help reveal greater information in each layer. when i first met Inside Pitch, he used to use things like obp and slg, and i had no idea what he was talking about. he taught me a lot about looking deeper than avg/hr/rbi, and i've been very grateful for that. it's helped me understand the game within the game better. i've seen some stats in this thread that i've never heard of before, and i wouldn't begin to know how to use them or what a good number is in that category. i'm content to let those who like that kind of info share what it means. i was originally curious because of the comments in the starlin castro thread as different posters were citing different info in looking at his performance, and i got to wondering what a GM must look at in the whole process. i appreciate that it must not be very easy to make a decision about a lot of players, and i appreciate how a guy like boras can really overwhelm an ill-prepared GM who hasn't done his homework. thanks for your input, everyone.

So, RBIs? Cool.

Wrong forum, Hollywood.

I get that a lot, too, Brandon. I'll get redirected 20 times in less than ten minutes.

This would be a good year for everyone on the halos to work on their base stealing skills.

Seriously? He's been out of mind so long that as soon as I saw his name here I figured he was easily north of 36.

Excellent answer. Thanks. I'm envisioning a Scott Boras kind of notebook for each player.

Wow. I can't imagine the amount of time this would take, but if you're going to do this right you'd better be willing to put in the work. Thanks, doc.

Got to thinking about this after looking at the Starlin Castro thread and was wondering what stats should/would a modern day GM look at in evaluating a player and whether or not to pursue them. Long gone are the days of avg/hr/rbi (unless you're a HOF voter it seems). There are arguments about the value of counting stats vs. complicated formulas, and SABR guys vs. old school. So I'll ask the question here . . . If you were a GM of a real team, what stats would you look at to evaluate a player in determining whether or not to trade for/sign/keep/dump them. Please explain why you'd pick whatever stats you would use, if you don't mind.

Aim Low.

i don't think this will fit on a t-shirt.

kirk gibson interviewed for the job. would like to have seen him get the job.

but i don't think nate's wrong on this issue. the nra has the ability to make things very difficult for candidates who don't support them.

" Attorneys for the 14-year-old Muslim boy arrested after taking a homemade clock to his Texas school say he was publicly mistreated and deserves $15 million." wasn't it simply a clock that he bought and then dismantled, and not really a clock that he built?

for those who don't know, what is I Ching and how does one use it?

"great" should never be used to describe anything with a kardashian or a housewife in it, unless you're using the sentence "man, that show is a great big pile of hot steaming crap."

as much as i enjoy music, a majority of the albums i've bought over the years (maybe more as i've gotten older) have been greatest hits albums. there might be two or three songs on a regular album that i like, but the rest don't really appeal to me (i'm looking at you, harry connick). it's one of the reasons why itunes is quite possibly one of the greatest inventions ever. pick and choose shopping for music is outstanding.

in 2014 the stanley cup winning goal was scored by alec martinez. he threw his gloves and stick into the air and then did jazz hands. i think that reference will always be okay by me. anything else is just goofiness.

i have no idea if this is a good move or bad move.

and i think that's what makes the work that al and jesse do look so disingenuous so many outside of those communities.

something something victor's mom.

seriously? i don't think that's even on the table, especially coming off a national championship. one loss last year, and one loss this year - he's safe. the bigger concern is two marquee players in elliot and jones stating they're leaving, and elliot being very upset about the play calling yesterday. they're a pretty deep team, but it's never a good thing when any of your stars publicly complain about things.