Tweet 4/15

[bismotwitter]

# Today the entire baseball world wears #42 to honour the life
and memory of Jack Roosevelt Robinson, a true American hero.

[bismotwitter]

# Here’s an outstanding piece by Howard Bryant on Jackie:
http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/15182338/how-story-real-jackie-robinson-shows-deeper-more-painful-side-civil-rights-legend

[bismotwitter]

# Let's not forget the man whose idea inspired the beautiful gesture
of all these 42s: Junior Griffey, a Hall of Fame player and person.

[bismotwitter]

# THE GREISSMAN COMETH! Cappy goes back to Thomas as
the Isles hope to step on Florida's throat. Right call. Hot hand.

[bismotwitter]

# PANDA EXPRESS? Sandoval’s ex-trainer dishes that the obese
3B once gained 21 pounds in 21 days. Says it’s an eating issue.

[bismotwitter]

# This modern-day Joe Foy, making $19M a year, is said to need
a baby sitter to make sure he doesn’t eat too much. Thanks Ben.

[bismotwitter]

# There’s some stuff about Dr. Andrews and a second opinion on
the shoulder, but Panda has become a total waist regardless.

[bismotwitter]

# Panda is the elephant in the room, and Dombrowski is the jacka-s in
the front office. This Swihart situation is very troubling.

[bismotwitter]

# Swihart was sent down and Marco Hernandez--who is very
deserving--was called up. There is talk of Blake switching positions.

[bismotwitter]

# That would be a mistake. Swihart has way more value as a catcher
than at any other position, and where exactly do you move him?

[bismotwitter]

# Look around: Hanley, Travis, Pedey, MONCADA, Bogie, Shaw, Devers,
Holt, Benintendi, Jackie, Mookie. 11 guys for 8 positions.

[bismotwitter]

# In theory Swihart could have value as an athletic version of Gene
Tenace, but you have to spend time teaching him other spots.

[bismotwitter]

# If that's the story--after so little time, for a kid with good
defensive potential as a catcher--then just trade him.

[bismotwitter]

# There are plenty of teams that would gladly insert Swihart
behind the dish right now, growing pains and all.

[bismotwitter]

# In fact, would it be so crazy to package Swihart somewhere
to sweeten a get-rid-of-the-Panda trade?

[bismotwitter]

# The big thing is, they have to decide one way or the other
with Swihart, whose cache diminishes the longer they dither.

[bismotwitter]

# Because the longer this goes on, the closer Swihart comes to
becoming the Middlebrooks of catchers, and you don't want that.

[bismotwitter]

# Anyway, Swihart is a convenient scapegoat for the pitching,
but it’ll take more than stealing 2 strikes a game to fix it.

[bismotwitter]

# Understand, I would love if it the Kool-Aid drinkers were right, and
everyone starts pitching great magically with Vazquez there.

[bismotwitter]

# Though reports of his arm at this point--still fairly soon after
surgery--are not quite glowing, there's no question Vaz is a great C.

[bismotwitter]

# But you hear this stuff from statheads every few years. First
defense doesn't matter. Then UZR comes out.

[bismotwitter]

# Suddenly Mike Cameron is deemed more valuable than Manny Ramirez,
and we're told to salivate about the runs Crawford will save us in LF.

[bismotwitter]

# Then there was the whole ground ball pitcher craze, which you don't
hear about anymore. OBP was all that mattered, until it wasn't.

[bismotwitter]

# These guys are smart and passionate, the statheads, but they're also
often quite bullheaded. I tend to be skeptical of their claims.

[bismotwitter]

# Do I think catching defense is important? Absolutely. Do I think a
couple dozen Vazquez games from 2014 makes him a top-10 player? No.

[bismotwitter]

# I'm also not in love with the 6-8 spots in our lineup,
Shaw/Holt/Vazquez. Why Bradley still hits 9th is beyond me.

[bismotwitter]

# But the bottom line is: they better be right about Vazquez, and he
better not pop something in a month. I don't want to see Sandy Leon.

[bismotwitter]

# And they better sh-t or get off the pot with Swihart. (As Ruben
Amaro chuckles, knowing he woulda given Ben Hamels for him!)

[bismotwitter]

# I am happy for Hernandez, though I'm not sure why we also need
Rutledge. Marco was stolen from Theo Sh-tstein for Felix Doubront.

[bismotwitter]

# Hernandez hit .330 in AA last year, .270 in AAA. Hit .286/.375/.429
in Pawtucket this year, and also raked during spring training.

[bismotwitter]

# Hernandez is only 23, bats lefty, and hit .330 in AA last year.
Mostly a singles hitter, not a great BB rate, some speed.

[bismotwitter]

# Hernandez is regarded as a good defensive SS. He's played some 2B
the last couple of years, a tiny bit of 3B in the past.

[bismotwitter]

# Hernandez has been pigeonholed as a future utility player, but I
could see him starting for a second division club at 2B or SS.

[bismotwitter]

# Craig goes on Pawtucket’s DL, but Sam Travis is amping
up the power: 2 HR, 7 RBI in 8 games (.267/.333/.467).

[bismotwitter]

# Jim Cramer expects Chipolte’s stock to go back up. Keep
that in mind if you’re looking for investment tips.

[bismotwitter]

# NOAH SYNAGOGUE? Young Mets hurler said to be
considering a conversion to Judaism.

[bismotwitter]

# There are men in their mid-to-late sixties who played in the
NHL with Jaromir Jagr. Think about that for a second. A marvel.

[bismotwitter]

# Phil Jackson is a total joke. How can he be so stubborn about
his stupid triangle and his coterie of yes-men disciples?

[bismotwitter]

# And now Big Chief Triangle, the Zen Master, blames the media
for FAs not signing, and pretends Thibodeau is some unknown.

[bismotwitter]

# NEW YORK VALUES! THANK YOU NY POST FOR ENDORSING
MR. TRUMP!

[bismotwitter]

# WINNING ON THE ICE AND IN THE POLLS: Isles sign Quinnipiac
standout D Devon Toews (no relation) to entry level contract.

[bismotwitter]

# Toews, a late bloomer, has become a really good prospect,
and he’ll forgo his senior year to turn pro. He’ll start in the AHL.

[bismotwitter]

# Actually, there is a loophole in hockey, where collegiate
draftees can become FAs, so it’s a sigh of relief to sign Toews.

[bismotwitter]

# All-star panel on Bill Maher tonight: Susan Sarandon, Arianna
Huffington, Amy Goodman, Mary Katherine Ham, Rick Tyler.

[bismotwitter]

# This just in, Dombrowski says Panda's shoulder could require
surgery. Which means the odds of trading him go from 0.00001% to zero.

[bismotwitter]

# And they say Swihart will play catcher and left field in Pawtucket.
Gee, a LF who hits .275 with 10 SB. If only we had one. Oh wait, Holt.

[bismotwitter]

# So he spends half this season in AAA playing 2 positions. Then next
year he's a backup. Catching doesn't develop. Trade value vanishes.

[bismotwitter]

# It's really infuriating. They could've gotten a sh-t ton for Swihart
last year, or during the offseason. Vazquez better deliver.

[bismotwitter]

# I don't care much about the NFL schedules. It's hard to predict how
a lot of teams will actually do once the games count.

[bismotwitter]

# Opponents you think are pushovers could be surprises. Tough teams
could disappoint--or you could get them on a bad week.

[bismotwitter]

# The only interesting thing to me is Indy opting *not* to have a bye
after playing in London Week 4. No team has done this before.

[bismotwitter]

# Pagano would rather have the bye later in the season, but the Colts
will be zombies Week 5 (albeit against a potentially weak Bears team).

[bismotwitter]

# I'll tell you, I just hope Swihart hits .400 the next couple weeks
and gets traded, with something good coming back our way.

[bismotwitter]

# This "plan" makes less and less sense the more I think about it. And
whither Rusney, if Swihart's going to be emulating Hanley in left?

[nate]

So far, so good. 2 stolen strikes, a 1-2-3 strikem'outthrowem'out double play and 2 hits off the Monster.

But this was just 1 game.

:P

- nate

[brucej...@gmail.com]

On Friday, April 15, 2016 at 6:00:27 PM UTC-4, bismotwitter wrote:
> # There's some stuff about Dr. Andrews and a second opinion on
> the shoulder, but Panda has become a total waist regardless.

Pun intended...?

[bismotwitter]

@brucejunkie56: Born to Pun.