Snakes In My Pants

Rumors are beginning to circulate [scroll down a bit] that our own Washington Nationals may actually make a strong offer for Rangers-turned-Angels-now-Free Agent slugger Mark Teixeira.  Baseball Prospectus says they “may go as high as” $200M for 10 years, which is what Tex’s agent Scott Boras has floated as his target salary.  Open Free Agent signing period begins at midnight tonight [Friday Nov 14].

The purported offer goes against every conventional wisdom there is with respect to the Nats (e.g. the Nats have a long term “Plan” to build from within; the Lerners are cheap/won’t spend on high-priced free agents; the Nats aren’t ready to contend; etc…).  That is, except two schools of thought, which may indeed drive this signing: that (1) the Nat’s #1 off season priority is a left-handed, middle-of-the-order power bat, and (2) that the Nats got embarrassed this year - not only with their last-in-the-majors 59-102 record, but with a significantly underwhelming box office tally in their honeymoon season in the brand-new Nationals Park.  There aren’t too many of the former out there which can stabilize a batting order, and Matt Holiday (tho a Righty) was on the Nats wish-list, and has now been dealt to Oakland.  Prince Fielder is out there, but would command top prospects that the Nationals likely don’t have.  Teixeira is a switch-hitter and is only 28 - so a long-term deal may not smack “The Plan” too strongly in the face.  Heck, in 5 years, a $20M salary may be a bargain for a .290/40 HR/.900+ OPS guy!

#2 may be the most important, as the Nats attendance dwindled significantly from the start of the season, and there’s a growing resentment among it’s rather transient fanbase that the organization isn’t commited to a winning team at the MLB level.  In short, they need a star - beyond FoF Ryan Zimmerman - to put some butts in the seats, sell some more luxury boxes, and win a few games.

We shall soon see… perhaps, perhaps, perhaps.

That is, a starting pitcher, and your new starting LF.  The Nats acquire former Florida Marlins LHP Scott Olsen who immediately moves into the middle - if not the front - of the rotation, and power-hitting corner OF Josh Willingham.  Florida purges part of their core before having to pay them, and the Nats give up only one borderline Major leaguer in 2B Emilio Bonifacio, and two low-A prospects.  Creative, and very interesting.

I’m not a huge fan of Olsen, as he’s been incredibly inconsistent on the field, and consistently problem-attracting off of it.  But he’s got enormous talent and potential.  If he can stay out of trouble on the highways, and in the clubhouse, and focus his talent, he could dominate (sound like another 24-year old Florida-based player the Nats traded for recently?? So far, so good…).  By the same token, if Willingham is healthy, he’s imediately the Nats best power hitter.

One of the Nats prospect - Jake Smolinski - could be quite good one day, but so far, and for now, the Nats get two legit major leaguers for a grab-bag of 3 rather large question marks.

For what it’s worth, ESPN’s MLB analyst Keith Law likes it for the Nats.

I’m sad to report that I have officially given up on Charlie Weis and his staff.

After 4 years of recruiting top-10 classes, with nearly every possible advantage (except JuCo transfers and low academic requirements), there is simply no excuse for the Notre Dame football team, the most succesful and lucrative program in the history of college sports, to lose CONSISTENTLY to second-rate programs like Pitt and Michigan State, or third-rate programs like Boston College.

The Weis era started with a bang, twice reaching the #2 ranking in his first year-plus as well as two berths in the BCS. But that early success hid what I believe to be Weis’ tragic flaw: he can’t relate to or motivate the young college player. Those two first teams, dominated by upper-classmen like Brady Quinn and Jeff Smardjiza, took to his NFL-style coaching like a duck to water, but the freshmen, sophomores, and junors on his current team have simply not progressed to the championship level they should have.

This team has no heart, no spirit, no energy. Some of that definitely falls on the players and the lack of senior-leadership, but most of that has to fall on Weis. The play-calling and defensive schemes have also been attrocious this year. To say they lack imagination or creativity would be a very generous understatement.

I’m not calling for him to be fired because 4 years into his 10-year contract, it isn’t going to happen. Also, I will continue to root for the Irish for this year and next, hoping that I am wrong.

Unfortunately, I don’t think that will be the case.

Starry-eyed SIMP PREDICTION: Notre Dame 31, Boston College 13

REALITY: Boston College 17, Notre Dame 0

Chicago NBC Affiliate: “God Likes Boston College More”

Boston College joins Michigan and Southern California in the ranks of schools that have shut out Notre Dame under Coach Charlie Weis.

This evens up the all-time series between the only two universities of Roman persuasion playing FBS football (or as the Domers see it, between the only Catholic school playing FBS football and the only Jesuit school playing FBS football) with BC winning the last six. And the Frank Leahy Memorial Bowl stays in the Chestnut Hill trophy case where it has been since 2001.

Just for the record, the officials were from the Big East.

Read it all..

Fox’s Ken Rosenthal says that the Nats want to make a big splash this winter, possibly in the form of Let Manny be Manny.

Comedy, baby.

Enough of a reason to VOTE OBAMA-BIDEN, in my opinion! 

Obama on ESPN’s Monday Night Football with Chris Berman

It’s at about 1:25 into the interview.  But the whole five minutes is worth watching.  Also good to know that Barack is an NFL fan - even if he’s a BEARS fan (yuk).

Buh-bye Chad Cordero.

The NY Daily News this week had an interesting stat about Eric Mangini:

In Mangini’s tenure, the Jets have faced 12 opponents with winning records, prevailing only three times. They upset the Patriots (6-2) in 2006, stunned the Steelers (7-2) in 2007 and beat the Cardinals (2-1) last month, although the latter hardly ranks in the same category as the first two.

The first two came after bye weeks, a considerable advantage in terms of mental and physical preparation. There will be no rest this week for the Jets, who face the Bills (5-2) on the road.

Will the Jets beat the Bills on Sunday? They’d bloody well better if they want to be taken seriously for the rest of 2008.

My old alma mater hosted the Quidditch World Cup last weekend. Seriously.

LoHud Yankees blog has a pretty good rundown on how to interpret free agency-related news items.