Bill Simmons: Aviles is my guy

Bill Simmons, ESPN's the Sports Guy, mentions in his latest Podcast that he picked up the Golden God, Mike Aviles on waivers for his fantasy team and so is following him and the Royals closely. Also spends some time with his friend JackO ripping both Tony Penas, Jr. and Sr. Maybe withstanding a dose of Kansas City pain will improve Simmons as a writer? It sure seems to have done the job for Posnanski.

Note: to hear Bill mention Aviles, click on the most recent podcast link on the page, with Peter Vecsey and JackO, and scroll to 50:30. You'll hear some ripping on the Royals and Tim Lincecum before he gets to Aviles and ripping on Tony Pena Jr.

5 months ago Eppenweb Comment 47 comments 1 recs |

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Simmons sucks.

God I wish I had his job though. Easiest job ever.

Rowdy Hardy Fan Club member.

by doublestix on Jun 26, 2008 11:51 PM EDT 0 recs

Hopefully you will

Because then the Royals, Chiefs, and the new Kansas City NBA franchise will all win championships. And you can still complain about them!

Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com

by RoyalsRetro on Jun 27, 2008 8:51 AM EDT up 0 recs

Past Simmons favs

Howie Kendrick, Rocco Baldellil

Aviles falls through an open manhole in 3, 2…

[PS: someone tell him it’s “Avilanche”]

OMG Banny. FWIW I am only crdtng u w/3 runs allwd bc of DDJ OMFG

by devil_fingers on Jun 27, 2008 12:43 AM EDT 0 recs

random...

had a wierd dream the other night…whats your first name Eppenweb? just wondering if I have ESP or something…dreams are wierd man

Don't be lonesome for your heroes. Be your own hero.

by PhattStairs on Jun 27, 2008 12:56 AM EDT 0 recs

I think you're in the wrong chat room, friend

OMG Banny. FWIW I am only crdtng u w/3 runs allwd bc of DDJ OMFG

by devil_fingers on Jun 27, 2008 1:47 AM EDT up 0 recs

I figured I would get that sort of response...

I just had a wierd random dream, where Eppenweb (have no clue how or why it popped into my dream) and I discussed Royals baseball and he told me his first name and to verify it with him upon waking…yes dreams are strange and I am sure whoever Eppenweb is has the same “what the eff” response that I did…I guess I shouldn’t try to think outside the box, uh?

Don't be lonesome for your heroes. Be your own hero.

by PhattStairs on Jun 27, 2008 10:31 AM EDT up 0 recs

but I did listen to the Simmons thing...

that whole Pena Sr and Jr thing was a riot…it was very cool to hear Simmons talk about something I care about again and not the effing NBA

Don't be lonesome for your heroes. Be your own hero.

by PhattStairs on Jun 27, 2008 10:33 AM EDT up 0 recs

Where've you been?

I miss you and your repeated elipses. :p

A mind without purpose will walk in dark places.

by NHZ on Jun 27, 2008 6:10 PM EDT up 0 recs

I still frequent the site...

but I don’t have time to filter through everything like I used too and comment on everything…I had my gallbuster taken out and then 5 days later I became the father of a little Royals fan named Helena (who loves her pink Royals blankey!)...and I work a second marketing job now (see my text ad on the main page) and I just became the busy father somehow…I’ll throw up an elipses filled diary before too long…still adjusting to the wierd new format, but this is still my favorite site!

Don't be lonesome for your heroes. Be your own hero.

by PhattStairs on Jun 28, 2008 1:14 PM EDT up 0 recs

Congrats on the baby...

...and giving birth to the gallbuster too. Helena is a great name, by the way. Good choice.

This is just my opinion. I could easily be wrong.

by NYRoyal on Jun 28, 2008 1:54 PM EDT up 0 recs

yeah its pronounced...

HelEEEna…but I’m sure it will be pronounced like the capital of Montana by every she meets in her life…Helena Rose is the name, it is a combination of family members and we like to keep that old flavor a rollin

Don't be lonesome for your heroes. Be your own hero.

by PhattStairs on Jun 28, 2008 7:02 PM EDT up 0 recs

Congrats to your and the missus, then.

And the gallbuster.

A mind without purpose will walk in dark places.

by NHZ on Jun 30, 2008 11:55 AM EDT up 0 recs

Holy shyte

If Eppenweb dies now after this dream you had, you need to be locked up and put into a drug-induced coma. You’re starting to scare me. [cue the “Twilight Zone” music]

This is just my opinion. I could easily be wrong.

by NYRoyal on Jun 27, 2008 2:13 PM EDT up 0 recs

Did I tell you my name was Brian?

‘Cause if not, it was just a funky dream.

by Eppenweb on Jun 27, 2008 5:52 PM EDT up 0 recs

damn you told me Jeff in my dream...

or are you just saying Brian and its really Jeff? doo do doo doo, doo doo do doo

Don't be lonesome for your heroes. Be your own hero.

by PhattStairs on Jun 28, 2008 1:17 PM EDT up 0 recs

Nope, it's really Brian.

Sorry, but you do not access another plane in your dreams. If you want, you can tell other people I told you Jeff and pretend, if that’ll impress Helena a few years down the road.

by Eppenweb on Jun 28, 2008 2:29 PM EDT up 0 recs

Don't tell her. It will give her nightmares.

This is just my opinion. I could easily be wrong.

by NYRoyal on Jun 28, 2008 3:28 PM EDT up 0 recs

I've also heard Simmons say in the past

that he really liked Dayton Moore (even though he couldn’t remember his name) and thought that he and Billy Beane were the two GMs that he would trust more than any others when it comes to finding talent out of nowhere.

by raefzilla on Jun 27, 2008 11:31 AM EDT 0 recs

Hmmm

Will I get banned if I suggest that DMGM has a ways to go before he’s mentioned in the same breath as Billy Beane?

OMG Banny. FWIW I am only crdtng u w/3 runs allwd bc of DDJ OMFG

by devil_fingers on Jun 27, 2008 12:59 PM EDT up 0 recs

No,

you will be heralded as a Saint of Reason.

A mind without purpose will walk in dark places.

by NHZ on Jun 27, 2008 1:42 PM EDT up 0 recs

Billy Beane can't hold Dayton Moore's jock

Dayton owns him and pwns him. Perhaps even uber-pwnage. It’s time for Dayton to fleece Billy with a TPJ for Daric Barton trade.

This is just my opinion. I could easily be wrong.

by NYRoyal on Jun 27, 2008 2:14 PM EDT up 0 recs

Er...

Not to be super serious about a joke, but Barton has sucked big time thus far.

A mind without purpose will walk in dark places.

by NHZ on Jun 27, 2008 2:19 PM EDT up 0 recs

True

But a slow start in the majors doesn’t change my opinion of a player much. I mean, wouldn’t you think Hu is still a top 100 MLB prospect, despite his rookie season start?

This is just my opinion. I could easily be wrong.

by NYRoyal on Jun 27, 2008 2:33 PM EDT up 0 recs

Yes

I do. It’s just that Barton never really did hit for the power one would expect from a highly regarded 1B prospect, tasty cup of coffee last year aside.

A mind without purpose will walk in dark places.

by NHZ on Jun 27, 2008 2:37 PM EDT up 0 recs

You've got a point

My joke should have been TPJ for Cust. But I’d still do TPJ for Barton. ;)

This is just my opinion. I could easily be wrong.

by NYRoyal on Jun 27, 2008 3:42 PM EDT up 0 recs

"I’d still do TPJ for Barton."

That’s what she…

Sarcasm™. It's the new gravy.

by jonfmorse on Jun 27, 2008 3:44 PM EDT up 0 recs

...thought better of saying? :p

A mind without purpose will walk in dark places.

by NHZ on Jun 27, 2008 3:45 PM EDT up 0 recs

Oh man

Given what some people seem to think of Dunn, can you imagine what would happen if KC got Cust?

Although part of me thinks that DMGM would have to think long and hard about the deal anyway, given Cust’s defensive “abilities.”

OMG Banny. FWIW I am only crdtng u w/3 runs allwd bc of DDJ OMFG

by devil_fingers on Jun 27, 2008 3:49 PM EDT up 0 recs

In a folder on my computer titled "porn"

I have pictures of OBP and SLG, and mpeg videos of people saying “strikeouts aren’t that big a deal”... and despite that, I’m still just not crazy about Cust. I’ve said before that while strikeouts aren’t that big a deal, there IS a limit to that, and I think he’s beyond it. Dunn, too, although 40 HR makes up for a lot.

Sarcasm™. It's the new gravy.

by jonfmorse on Jun 27, 2008 3:53 PM EDT up 0 recs

Even if so, isn't this a better lineup than the current one?

CF DDJ
2B Grudz/Callaspo
DH Cust
LF Guillen
3B Gordon
1B Butler
RF Teahen
SS Aviles
C Buck

or, if Butler stupidly is leff in the minors, the team can leave both Gload and Gathright on the bench, where they belong (that’s generous to Ross, butyou know what I mean), although I hope that isn’t necessary much longer.

OMG Banny. FWIW I am only crdtng u w/3 runs allwd bc of DDJ OMFG

by devil_fingers on Jun 27, 2008 4:01 PM EDT up 0 recs

Of course it is.

I didn’t say Cust sucks, I just said I’m not crazy about him.

Sarcasm™. It's the new gravy.

by jonfmorse on Jun 27, 2008 4:25 PM EDT up 0 recs

Give me a high OBP and a high SLG and I'll make do with just about whatever comes with it

...including lots of K’s, poor defense, poor baserunning and a John Birch Society membership.

This is just my opinion. I could easily be wrong.

by NYRoyal on Jun 27, 2008 4:04 PM EDT up 0 recs

Me too, generally.

Here’s the thing. If you strike out 200 times a year, that’s 200 times you didn’t even give the ball a chance to miss gloves. Now, that IN NO WAY detracts from the number of times a Dunn or a Cust get on base. Not saying that at all. But, god, can you imagine the numbers they’d put up if they didn’t whiff in a quarter of their PAs?

After all, nobody ever scored from third on a one-out strikeout, barring a WP/PB.

Sarcasm™. It's the new gravy.

by jonfmorse on Jun 27, 2008 4:31 PM EDT up 0 recs

I understand

And more contact for guys like that would be great. But they are what they are. And if what they are is a .300/.400/.550 player (just a for instance), then I don’t much care how they get there.

This is just my opinion. I could easily be wrong.

by NYRoyal on Jun 27, 2008 4:41 PM EDT up 0 recs

See below for some more perspective

on why I dislike massive K totals, and why my dislike doesn’t matter too much. ;)

Sarcasm™. It's the new gravy.

by jonfmorse on Jun 27, 2008 5:01 PM EDT up 0 recs

High K's

They really don’t mean much in the short term. Three True Outcomes players might decline quicker in the long term, I suppose, but there’s no real “threshold” where you can’t contribute to your team if you K over it.

A mind without purpose will walk in dark places.

by NHZ on Jun 27, 2008 4:13 PM EDT up 0 recs

Yeah, if a guy gets on base a lot and hits for a lot of power...

...I don’t much care if every one of his outs is a K.

This is just my opinion. I could easily be wrong.

by NYRoyal on Jun 27, 2008 4:30 PM EDT up 0 recs

They do decline quicker, and I think I know why.

At a certain point, pitchers stop being afraid of them, especially in situations where they’ve got a lead and a home run won’t lose it. Then they attack the hitter, and let’s face it, the reason these guys have the profile they have is that they won’t swing at crap, but they obviously swing wildly at strikes. It’s almost as if they only actually hit the ball by sheer luck, and since they’re big powerful guys, they hit it a long way.

I mean, seriously, would you rather face Adam Dunn or George Brett?

Sarcasm™. It's the new gravy.

by jonfmorse on Jun 27, 2008 4:35 PM EDT up 0 recs

Deja vu

Brett is obviously better. But isn’t that comparison a bit obvious, given that Dunn is a very good hitter for his position with an career OPS+ of 130 still in his prime, and George Brett is the second greatest 3b of all-time who has a career OPS+ of 135 that includes his decline years? I guess positions are irrelevant—the numbers alone say Brett is better.

Sorry if that was a bit weird, or if I missed your point, but the chosen examples sort of don’t fit.

The question would be better as Mike Schmidt vs. George Brett, and (preparing to run for cover) unlike JoPo, I think you’d rather face Brett, although you’re pretty much screwed either way.

OMG Banny. FWIW I am only crdtng u w/3 runs allwd bc of DDJ OMFG

by devil_fingers on Jun 27, 2008 4:42 PM EDT up 0 recs

And who I mean by "screwed"

is the pitcher/manager who has to pick between Brett or Schmidt

OMG Banny. FWIW I am only crdtng u w/3 runs allwd bc of DDJ OMFG

by devil_fingers on Jun 27, 2008 4:43 PM EDT up 0 recs

It wasn't about their OPS+

The problem with just looking at OPS is that if the bases are empty, then it works perfectly. But if you’ve got runners on 2nd and 3rd with nobody out, I guarantee you that you’d rather have Brett than Dunn at the plate even if you take away 15 points of Brett’s OPS+... because while there’s a good chance Dunn will either fill the bases or clear them, there’s a 30% chance he’s going to walk back to the dugout. But a guy with a similar OPS+ who relies more on BA and strikes out less has more chance of driving those two guys in.

Anyway, before this devolves into a huge set-to, let me again state that I don’t think these guys are bad ballplayers. I think they’ve got serious risks of decline, and there are situations where I’d honestly rather have DDJ at the plate than Dunn, but if the Royals were to sign Dunn, I would be content for the short term and enjoy watching him clog the bases and kill rallies.

Sarcasm™. It's the new gravy.

by jonfmorse on Jun 27, 2008 5:00 PM EDT up 0 recs

I probably agree with you

Player A – .325/.375/.525 (.900 OPS)
Player B – .250/.375/.525 (.900 OPS)

Yes, I would prefer player A. If the Royals had a FA opportunity more like player A than player B (Dunn), then I’d probably prefer player A. Actually, in this FA class, player A might be Teixeira. And I do prefer him to Dunn. He’s at the top of my list. It’s just that I think he’ll be snatched up by the Yankees or someone else in the biggest bidding war of the offseason.

This is just my opinion. I could easily be wrong.

by NYRoyal on Jun 27, 2008 5:10 PM EDT up 0 recs

I'll go even further to perhaps better illustrate my thought process

Player A - .285/.375/.525 (.900 OPS), 80 Ks
Player B - .285/.375/.525 (.900 OPS), 180 Ks

I’d rather have Player A, because 100 times a year he’s going to put the ball in play and perhaps drive in runs or move runners despite using an out.

That’s all I’m saying, really. I would probably even prefer a player with only, say, a .875 OPS with half the K’s to Dunn, but probably not .850. (Your mileage may vary. These numbers are merely estimates. Extensive study on the benefit of moving runners and sac fly RBIs not conducted; consume at user’s own risk.)

Sarcasm™. It's the new gravy.

by jonfmorse on Jun 27, 2008 5:23 PM EDT up 0 recs

I probably agree with that too

This is just my opinion. I could easily be wrong.

by NYRoyal on Jun 27, 2008 5:30 PM EDT up 0 recs

Yes,

if all else is equal, I’d rather have less strikeouts and the higher contact rate, too. The thing is, that’s just not a profile that comes along all that often. We have to make do with the guys who are available.

But good points.

A mind without purpose will walk in dark places.

by NHZ on Jun 27, 2008 6:13 PM EDT up 0 recs

This Was About

Mike Aviles?

I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.

by philofthenorth on Jun 28, 2008 1:38 PM EDT 0 recs

Originally, yeah.

But that’s the great thing about RR. Post about Simmons liking Aviles, and suddenly a philosophical discussion of the merits of Ks breaks out. You never know when RR will strike.

by Eppenweb on Jun 28, 2008 2:30 PM EDT up 0 recs