Is It Almost Time? I'm Getting Giddy!

YESSSS! Spring has sprung in Florida! Pitchers and catchers reported a couple of weeks ago, and everybody's trickled in after.

QUICKLY:

JoBau and the explanation of WAR

What the fuck is goddamn WAR?! It is a measure of how good a player is compared to his less-than-able, average player. And then, the probability of wins this player can potentially garner(and it beats the fuck out of me how they get this number, since it IS a team sport) is factored in his Wins Above Replacement number.

Your average player would be like a Joe Inglett or a Craig Grebeck. Nobody special. You might as well get a sack of potatoes out on that field. But those players maybe have a WAR of 1.00, which is not bad, but not good by any means. If your player has a WAR in the negatives, chances are he's out of the major leagues, or he's playing for the Washington Nationals. HEYO!

And each increment of WAR determines your standing as a major leaguer. The high 7's or 8's, means you are an A-Rod or Jeter, or Pujols-type player, meaning he's REALLY good.

If you clicked on to www.fangraphs.com, Jose Bautista's WAR value for the year 2010, his number is at 6.9, meaning he is almost 7 times better that the acumen of a Mench-erson or an Ing-beck. No disrespect to those player combos, because I love them(not really!)

JoBau's WAR actually provides great insight on his value in regards to the contract extension that he signed. 5 years, $64 Million, ain't nothing to sneeze at, but it shows the number craftiness that Jays GM Alex Anthoupulos possesses, especially when it comes to metrics.

I don't have the break down details, but I'm under the impression that the dollar amounts get smaller as Bautista's age gets higher and his skills begin to diminish.

I'm no fan of JoBau by any means, but I enjoy the value of this deal because in a free market, he could have garnered maybe Pujols kind of dollars, but stayed in TO for less money.

Is this a sign of things to come? Is Toronto becoming a desirable destination for superstars one again? We'll have to wait and see.

We just got rid of one big money contract in Vernon Wells. Who's to say that this will be any different?

Speaking of which, my daughter is selling her Vernon Wells lunchbox. She wants a ton of money for it, and has been trying to get rid of the thing since she got it. Takers?


I lost my "Keep the Dodgers In Brooklyn," button a little while back. I last saw it when I was at The Zanzibar for a 'businessman's lunch.' A modest reward to the person who brings it back to me. It has sentimental value.

(Make sure you click on the upper right hand button to BUY ME A COFFEE! An XL at Horton's is $1.74. I know you rich fuckers can afford that!)