The more I think about it, the more I want Manny. It's disturbing to notice this change in my philosophy, but it is what it is. Losing draft picks is one of my bigger fears with free agent signings, so should Moreno decide he really wants Manuel, some trade of proven Angels for unproven prospects needs to take place. Chone Figgins seems like a strong candidate for this, as does Gary Matthews Junior.
Yes, I'm joking about Gary.
Sorta.
Look, the A's aren't going to be very good this year. Better than last year, but still not very good. Their offense has significantly improved with Holliday and Giambi, but I think Cust is a better Giambi than Giambi is at this point. Their pitching sucks. I don't care what anyone says. Duchscherer is just not that good, and, like most A's, is constantly hurt. Eveland sucks, Gallagher sucks, Gonzalez is not ready, and who the hell else is left? Dallas Braden? Josh Outman? Please.
The Mariners have a real front office now. They won't be good this season, or next. But they'll improve steadily.
The Rangers will be good once they fix their ballpark and offense-first strategy.
The Angels, on the other hand, are more difficult to predict. They'll be good this year. Not 2008 good, but not 2006 bad. 2007's probably a reasonable comp. They'll win around 90 games and take the AL West as they exist right now. But the Angels don't have the farm system the A's have. The coming years are going to see the A's peak and the Mariners improve, and that's going to make reaching the playoffs increasingly difficult. So, as far as I'm concerned, the Angels are (and have been for two years now) in win-now mode. Manny's going to be expensive, but not in a way that's tremendously damaging to the future. He's going to provide the offense which the moronic fanbase thinks we so desperately need while potentially keeping the clubhouse from looking like they have sticks way up their asses come playoff time.
It's an interesting thing to think about.
Northeastern
I stumbled upon Northeastern goalie Brad Thiessen's blog yesterday. It's a peek into a Canadian mind, so it's interesting, and he seems to be covering more than just hockey.
Fuck this tournament. Seriously. Fuck it.It's almost time for that tournament again. Northeastern plays Boston College Monday night at 8:00 after the Ugly Rat Dogs of Commonwealth Ave. play Harvard at 5:00.
Honestly, fuck this tournament. Yeah, it's fun, and yeah, it would be obscenely awesome to win, but this team has far bigger fish to fry this season. Sitting at first place in Hockey East with over half the games already played means we need to stop talking about home ice and start talking about taking the title. It means we need to start thinking about booking flights to NCAA reigonals. It means we need to stop caring so much about a small-time Boston tournament and set our sights on reestablishing the dominance of Eastern hockey in the NCAA tournament.
Losing this tournament won't (and shouldn't) be the end of the world to Northeastern fans or players. I would trade the Legume Cup for a Hockey East and/or NCAA title immediately. We've lost this stupid thing 52 out of the 56 times it's been played. Every promising season since 1988 has been derailed by a loss on either of the first two Mondays in February, and I won't stand for it this year. This is no more important than the Badger Showdown, the Kendall Hockey Classic, or the Gopher Cup or whatever the fuck that tournament in Minnesota was called. Play it for what it is. And if we win, nobody on the team ever has to buy beer again.
Honestly, fuck this tournament. Yeah, it's fun, and yeah, it would be obscenely awesome to win, but this team has far bigger fish to fry this season. Sitting at first place in Hockey East with over half the games already played means we need to stop talking about home ice and start talking about taking the title. It means we need to start thinking about booking flights to NCAA reigonals. It means we need to stop caring so much about a small-time Boston tournament and set our sights on reestablishing the dominance of Eastern hockey in the NCAA tournament.
Losing this tournament won't (and shouldn't) be the end of the world to Northeastern fans or players. I would trade the Legume Cup for a Hockey East and/or NCAA title immediately. We've lost this stupid thing 52 out of the 56 times it's been played. Every promising season since 1988 has been derailed by a loss on either of the first two Mondays in February, and I won't stand for it this year. This is no more important than the Badger Showdown, the Kendall Hockey Classic, or the Gopher Cup or whatever the fuck that tournament in Minnesota was called. Play it for what it is. And if we win, nobody on the team ever has to buy beer again.
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