The Scrap Heap

TJ Simers, master of the takedown, points how just how mealy-mouthed and disingenuous the coverage of Jeff Kent’s retirement has been. Joe Posnanski hits another one onto to Waveland. Will ye no come to Chicago, Joe? (And for the geeks like me, here’s Posnanski’s eulogy for the late John Updike.) Since the Herald’s Cub reporter is too busy chasing down Al Yellon quotes to write anything substantial on their “Inside Pitch” blog, the Herald’s Sox reporter decided to rant on the Bud Selig Greed and Avarice Classic, a.k.a the WBC. Well done, sir. MLB has cut the Yankees off. I did not know there that such a limit existed, and that it was collectively bargained, but there you go: the Yankees cannot sign any more Type A or B FA’s this offseason. Sheets keeps getting cheaper….. Colin’s excellent series on measuring value continues at THT. If you haven’t been following this series, you should start. Colin’s got a real knack for making the complexities of sabermetrics very understandable (hell, even this old jarhead can grasp it), and the question of value is essential to almost every baseball discussion. Finally, Fangraphs has a nice look at why we shouldn’t always trust the “bust” tag when it comes to older prospects.