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Royal Link Roundup: Jason Kendall's Recovery Sets Us To Panic

First of all, in case you missed it you should check out Scott's study of how BAs Top 100 prospects fared at the MLB level.

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    I'm wondering why everyone hates Kendall so much. The guy NEVER complains.

    He doesn’t run his mouth. He’s ranked 46th on the All-time Catchers list. He’s got a career .288 BA, He’s collected 2195 hits in 2075 games. Is a great contact guy who rarely strikes out, has great discipline at the plane, as evidenced by his 721 walks. He’s cracked 394 doubles, 35 Triples, and 75 Homers,

    "The future, ain't what it used to be." ~Yogi Berra~

    by TheK-man on Feb 18, 2011 10:52 AM EST up reply actions  

    woops...

    and has a career OBP of .366. with 189 stolen bases. And his defensive numbers are better than his offensive. He’s started 1990 of 2025 games played, with only 144 errors and over 13000 PO’s.

    I can see if he was washed up, and a complainer, but he’s a veteran catcher who plays mistake free baseball who our young catchers are learning a lot from.

    I think he deserves a little more respect than some of us are giving him. I understand the desire to move on, and find our next Darrel Porter, or Jimmy Sundberg or Bob Boone (three former Royals ranked in the top 50 all time) but this guy has done nothing but show up and set a good example for our young catchers.

    Shame, shame, shame.

    "The future, ain't what it used to be." ~Yogi Berra~

    by TheK-man on Feb 18, 2011 11:02 AM EST up reply actions  

    Every good thing Kendall has done happened years ago

    and we get the sucky washed-up turd. Plus ridiculous tats. Plus he sucks. Plus I hate his stupid face.

    by PopeSoria on Feb 18, 2011 11:04 AM EST up reply actions  

    Glad to hear you'll be seething with hatred every time you watch the Royals

    play this year. I wouldn’t want you to enjoy the team.

    "The future, ain't what it used to be." ~Yogi Berra~

    by TheK-man on Feb 18, 2011 11:15 AM EST up reply actions  

    Some people enjoy hating

    Plus, the dude’s an ass and he is terrible…how could I live with myself if I didn’t “hate” him. It’s a little something called keepin it real.

    by PopeSoria on Feb 18, 2011 11:34 AM EST up reply actions  

    That's what I would expect a simpleton to say.

    "The future, ain't what it used to be." ~Yogi Berra~

    by TheK-man on Feb 18, 2011 11:40 AM EST up reply actions  

    Cut the crap. You didn’t need to do that. Don’t do it again.

    You may know me as NYRoyal.

    by Scott McKinney on Feb 18, 2011 1:45 PM EST up reply actions  

    And I can't remember the name of the place....but directly across from the

    Mexican place and the Waids on the west side of the Price Chopper parking lot, close to the McDonalds, there is a small Chinese Restaurant, with an awesome buffet. One of the best.

    "The future, ain't what it used to be." ~Yogi Berra~

    by TheK-man on Feb 18, 2011 11:06 AM EST up reply actions  

    nothing says "good example"

    like insisting on playing time whether or not it is good for the team, playing hurt to the detriment of the team, coasting on laurels from years ago (cf. Francoeur, Jeff), and, of course, setting an example for how to maintain a strong marriage while on the road with a pro baseball team.

    Making watching baseball as fun as doing your taxes.
    My Twitter feed.

    by Matt Klaassen on Feb 18, 2011 11:15 AM EST up reply actions  

    He put up a stronger line, than any catcher we currently have in the organization

    could have in 111 games. I’m shocked at how vindictive you are Matt. Your comment is just baloney. Assuming he’s got a bad marriage because he plays baseball? His wife is probably the one cheering him on to play as much as he can.

    In large measure, we become in life, what we have done. I just felt like, there should be at least one fan, who respects the career he’s had as a Catcher. For him to be wroking in a great city like KC, and to be giving all you have at the end of a great career doing something you love, and to come to the realization that you are hated by the fanbase, must be very difficult for him. He’ll be gone soon enough. The least we can do, is show a little respect for his accomplishments in the game, by showing the man a little kindness as he’s phased out of the organization and then retires.

    He deserves at least that.

    But it wouldn’t surprise me if I stand alone in support of him.

    I hope you never have to endure in your life what he’s enduring from the fans in KC.

    "The future, ain't what it used to be." ~Yogi Berra~

    by TheK-man on Feb 18, 2011 11:27 AM EST up reply actions  

    I for one, cannot stand Jason Kendall.

    Glad I came, just wish I hadn't stayed so long.

    People ask me what I do in winter when there’s no baseball...Rock Chalk Talk

    by Warden11 on Feb 18, 2011 12:11 PM EST up reply actions  

    I've got the mediocre at my profession thing down.

    Glad I came, just wish I hadn't stayed so long.

    People ask me what I do in winter when there’s no baseball...Rock Chalk Talk

    by Warden11 on Feb 18, 2011 1:29 PM EST up reply actions  

    Halfway there!

    Maybe the Royals need to add a few experienced, gritty schoolteachers to their farm system. Make sure you weigh down your mouse so you destroy your rotator cuff.

    by hunter s. royal on Feb 18, 2011 1:44 PM EST up reply actions  

    So it is inappropriate for us to say that he sucks

    And is overrated, overpaid and shouldn’t be starting for the Royals? Should we apologize to him for hurting his feelings? Or should we just apologize to you?

    You may know me as NYRoyal.

    by Scott McKinney on Feb 18, 2011 1:47 PM EST up reply actions  

    Certainly not to me. It's just the hateful comments towards him I find

    offensive. “Sucky washed up turd”, I hate his “stupid face”. That sort of thing. He doesn’t deserve that.

    "The future, ain't what it used to be." ~Yogi Berra~

    by TheK-man on Feb 18, 2011 2:16 PM EST up reply actions  

    In the very least, he deserves the first statement. He’s earned it.

    You may know me as NYRoyal.

    by Scott McKinney on Feb 18, 2011 2:26 PM EST up reply actions  

    He's just getting older. It's not for lack of effort.

    He’s a professional who’s doing the best that he can. As long as a man is doing the best that he can and making a sincere effort. I don’t hate a man for declining ability. And, he doesn’t suck. He’s just not as good any more as about half of the catchers in the league. You expect upper echelon catcher stats for a team with the lowest payroll in the league. We can’t afford to buy that, so they signed him because he doesn’t strike out much, and plays solid defense, and they needed veteran leadership to teach our young catching corp the ropes. He’s doing what the Royals asked of him.

    "The future, ain't what it used to be." ~Yogi Berra~

    by TheK-man on Feb 19, 2011 4:36 PM EST up reply actions  

    And no, he didn't put up the strongest line that any catcher in the organization could have over 111 games

    Brayan Pena is better, period. Now, I’m talking about 2010 and 2011. Not years ago back when Kendall was good. We shouldn’t pretend he is good now because he was good once. That was the past and this is the present.

    You may know me as NYRoyal.

    by Scott McKinney on Feb 18, 2011 1:48 PM EST up reply actions  

    I'm not pretending anything. His line was respectable, and he's with

    us to give the young guys time to develop into the position. I think Brayan Pena is a better option right now too. I think he’ll pretty much split time with Kendall, then Kendall will be gone next year, and you can all rejoice, and be proud of yourselves for all your insults to him.

    "The future, ain't what it used to be." ~Yogi Berra~

    by TheK-man on Feb 18, 2011 2:20 PM EST up reply actions  

    "His line was respectable"???

    What? I had to go re-check Jason’s line for 2010, and I don’t see anything there that I’d call “respectable”….. Well, Ok he DID get hit by pitch 6 times – so there’s that…..

    Tension is the enemy. - Charlie Lau

    by aHorseWithNoName on Feb 18, 2011 2:28 PM EST up reply actions  

    Kendall 2011

    wOBA: .278 – 2nd lowest (out of 29) among Catchers w/300+ PAs.
    Fielding: -1.0 – 12th lowest (out of 29) among Catchers w/300+ PAs.
    (Fangraphs)

    not respectable.

    The whole problem with the world is that fools & fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts. ~ Bertrand Russell

    by SagehenMacGyver47 on Feb 18, 2011 2:35 PM EST up reply actions  

    Post the names of the 12 catcher that he beat out.

    Bet ya there’s some pretty solid names on that list, that no one would say, wasn’t a good catcher.

    "The future, ain't what it used to be." ~Yogi Berra~

    by TheK-man on Feb 19, 2011 4:39 PM EST up reply actions  

    No, his performance really wasn't respectable

    .256/.318/.297

    My god, that’s horrendous, even for a catcher. That is a -17.9 runs coupled with -1 run on his arm (throwing out runners). Even with the massive positional adjustment catchers get, all he managed was 0.6 WAR. That’s abysmal.

    and he’s with us to give the young guys time to develop into the position

    I’m not sure what the relevance of this is. So it doesn’t matter if he sucks? He sucks, period. His stats show it. And there were other catchers who could have been had for similar or less money who could have been stopgaps instead of this truly awful player.
    I think he’ll pretty much split time with Kendall,

    Share, but not split. At least not when Kendall is deemed healthy.
    then Kendall will be gone next year, and you can all rejoice, and be proud of yourselves for all your insults to him.

    Should we be ashamed of saying that a shitty player sucks? Should we be ashamed of saying that we hate a player? Should we not share negative thoughts? Or should they just be shared respectfully? If that is what you believe, I find it particularly odd coming from you. You think we should be respectful towards players who very likely don’t read this site and will never hear about these comments and yet you don’t hesitate to be disrespectful to the people you are actually conversing with on this site.

    You may know me as NYRoyal.

    by Scott McKinney on Feb 18, 2011 2:33 PM EST up reply actions  

    Just "keeping it real".

    You need to get a sense of humor and stop taking everthing so damn serious.

    "The future, ain't what it used to be." ~Yogi Berra~

    by TheK-man on Feb 18, 2011 3:32 PM EST up reply actions  

    So you must be saying that Pena, Gordon, Kila, Getz, and Guillen

    are horrendous. Because his BA was better than all those guys in 2010 and a couple of more guys.

    "The future, ain't what it used to be." ~Yogi Berra~

    by TheK-man on Feb 19, 2011 4:45 PM EST up reply actions  

    well...theres the age/future potential argument....

    there’s the cost argument….theres the look at something other than batting average argument. theres the look at who could be playing instead argument….

    Fire Everyone

    by billybeingbilly on Feb 19, 2011 6:10 PM EST up reply actions  

    and there's the excuses, excuses for the sake of argueing

    argument.

    "The future, ain't what it used to be." ~Yogi Berra~

    by TheK-man on Feb 20, 2011 5:19 PM EST up reply actions  

    Plus, Kendall's line WAS better than Pena's last year.

    Pena had 40 hits in 60 games
    Kendall had 111 in 118
    Pena drew 12 walks in 60 games
    Kendall drew 37 in 111
    Pena stuck out 27 times in 60
    Kendall 45 in 111
    Pena had 2 stolen bases in 60 games
    Kendall had 12 in 111
    Pena had an OBP of .306
    Kendall had an OBP of .318
    Pena had a .253 BA
    Kendall had .256

    I don’t see a huge advantage of starting Pena from an offensive standpoint.

    And his defensive stats aren’t even approaching Kendall’s.

    "The future, ain't what it used to be." ~Yogi Berra~

    by TheK-man on Feb 18, 2011 2:37 PM EST up reply actions  

    Defensive stats don't approach Kendall?

    You mean like Jason’s error total? That would be 13 to go along with 6 PB’s—which aren’t exactly low numbers. And how many SBs against? 111.

    As for why you’re getting 20 times more disrespect back than you deliver, here…have you read your posts? I mean, calling people simpletons while using a rather simplistic arguement that we should like Jason for his career achievements rather than dislike him for what he did last year and will likely do this year…if that’s your thinking then that probably isn’t the best way to garner respect on this site. If having a catcher with a great career resume that promises virtually no production this year strikes your fancy, then why not just sign Johnny Bench?

    "...'Whachoo readin' for?'" - Bill Hicks

    by setupunchtag on Feb 20, 2011 11:23 AM EST up reply actions  

    sorry, those last three 111's for games played by Kendall should

    say 118. Just less than double of Pena’s.

    "The future, ain't what it used to be." ~Yogi Berra~

    by TheK-man on Feb 18, 2011 2:39 PM EST up reply actions  

    So if your going to say how bad Kendall sucks, you'll have to

    say the same about Pena.

    "The future, ain't what it used to be." ~Yogi Berra~

    by TheK-man on Feb 18, 2011 2:40 PM EST up reply actions  

    Or, just ignore the numbers, which don't lie, and continue

    living in denial, that he’s the best catcher we have right now, and cut the guy some slack.

    "The future, ain't what it used to be." ~Yogi Berra~

    by TheK-man on Feb 18, 2011 2:41 PM EST up reply actions  

    Fine

    You stop “living in denial” about how awful Kendall is, and I’ll say that Pena sucks too.

    Tension is the enemy. - Charlie Lau

    by aHorseWithNoName on Feb 18, 2011 2:45 PM EST up reply actions  

    I'll take that deal.

    The truth is they both suck. Kendall’s experience and getting healthy again in the off-season, just means he’s gonna suck a little less than Pena this year. jmo.

    "The future, ain't what it used to be." ~Yogi Berra~

    by TheK-man on Feb 18, 2011 2:47 PM EST up reply actions  

    Look at performance in recent seasons and you see a clear picture of Pena being better than Kendall

    That is why every decent projection system projects Pena to be better than Kendall. It really isn’t close.

    You may know me as NYRoyal.

    by Scott McKinney on Feb 18, 2011 3:13 PM EST up reply actions  

    But I just did that for 2010, and clearly

    Kendall had better stats in almost every major offensive category.

    Now, I agree, that it’s time to move on, and Pena can be a decent catcher until Perez is ready. But Pena is not the long-term answer for the Royals at Catcher. I just don’t see it.

    That said, my mind is always open, if he impresses me this year, I reserve the right to change my mind, and defend him against the evil doers, just like I did Kendall.

    "The future, ain't what it used to be." ~Yogi Berra~

    by TheK-man on Feb 18, 2011 3:20 PM EST up reply actions  

    YOU ARE RIDICULOUS
    Kendall had better stats in almost every major offensive category.

    Kendall
    .256/.318/.297/.615
    Pena
    .253/.306/.335/.642

    Kendall 490 PAs vs. Pena 174 PAs
    Doubles: K=18, P=10
    HRs: K=0, P=1

    Pena basically had 1 AB every other game while Kendall was hogging playing time. When Pena was actually given a chance in September, he did this in 86 PAs: .309/.349/.432/.781. Kendall could never produce numbers like that. In fact, Kendall hasn’t slugged above .342 since 2004.

    Give up the Kendall love. He’s terrible. Pena isn’t great, but given regular playing time, he’ll post better numbers than he did last year.

    by AxDxMx on Feb 21, 2011 9:09 PM EST up reply actions  

    But getting back to your comparison

    It’s really difficult to put up numbers when you’re only starting 1 or 2 games a month. When Brayan FINALLY got regular starts in September, he hit .309/.349/.432. It’s a small sample size to be sure, but it’s better than any month that Jason put up in 2010.

    Tension is the enemy. - Charlie Lau

    by aHorseWithNoName on Feb 18, 2011 2:51 PM EST up reply actions  

    Exactly

    And Pena has been better overall in recent seasons. Claiming Pena is just as bad as Kendall is baseless and unsupportable.

    You may know me as NYRoyal.

    by Scott McKinney on Feb 18, 2011 3:13 PM EST up reply actions  

    But you're just selecting the stats you want and

    ignoring the big ones. I just proved it and you’re just ignoring the numbers.

    Read them this time:

    Pena had 40 hits in 60 games
    Kendall had 111 in 118
    Pena drew 12 walks in 60 games
    Kendall drew 37 in 111
    Pena stuck out 27 times in 60
    Kendall 45 in 111
    Pena had 2 stolen bases in 60 games
    Kendall had 12 in 111
    Pena had an OBP of .306
    Kendall had an OBP of .318
    Pena had a .253 BA
    Kendall had .256

    What’s so much better about Pena again?

    Although, I’ll give him some credit for shedding some Jello coming into spring training.

    Guess he knows Kendall won’t be coming into camp all fat and flabby, with BBQ sauce dripping from his chin.

    "The future, ain't what it used to be." ~Yogi Berra~

    by TheK-man on Feb 18, 2011 3:24 PM EST up reply actions  

    Once again, change the 111's to 118 for Kendall.

    sorry.

    "The future, ain't what it used to be." ~Yogi Berra~

    by TheK-man on Feb 18, 2011 3:25 PM EST up reply actions  

    On stats

    you are doing the same thing. You are using “games”. Of Pena’s 60 games, he only started 37 of those – Kendall started all of those 118 games. It’s more about Plate Appearances. Kendall had 490, and Pena had only 174. That’s a big difference.

    Tension is the enemy. - Charlie Lau

    by aHorseWithNoName on Feb 18, 2011 3:28 PM EST up reply actions  

    Guilty as charged.

    Point taken. I looked for the games started stat in the line but couldn’t find it.

    That does change the final equation somewhat.

    But not enough for me to think Pena is gonna be an upgrade over a health Kendall.

    "The future, ain't what it used to be." ~Yogi Berra~

    by TheK-man on Feb 18, 2011 3:40 PM EST up reply actions  

    healthy.

    "The future, ain't what it used to be." ~Yogi Berra~

    by TheK-man on Feb 18, 2011 3:40 PM EST up reply actions  

    But not enough for me to think Pena is gonna be an upgrade over a health Kendall.
    Why, because all you care about are 2010 stats? Or career stats? There’s a reason that every projection system projects based on the last 3-4 MLB seasons. Well, two reasons: a) because looking at only one season gives you way too little information and, b) because looking at seasons 5+ years ago gives you information which isn’t relevant or meaningful for the present day.

    I think you’re hung up on the name. That name has been associated with being an excellent player. But he isn’t that anymore. He’s awful. He’s a horrendous hitter and his defense hasn’t been better than average for at least the last two years. He’s not a great thrower anymore and he doesn’t do a great job blocking balls. I sure hope his leadership is worth a lot, because that’s all he’s got.

    You may know me as NYRoyal.

    by Scott McKinney on Feb 18, 2011 3:47 PM EST up reply actions  

    You just asked me to look at Pena's

    last few seasons…but I’m not permitted to consider Kendall’s past??

    Kendall has hit over .300 in 6 different major league seasons….

    .300
    .327
    .332
    .320
    .325
    .319

    Granted, it’s been awhile, but Pena will never hit over .300 once.

    It’s not beyond the realm of comprehension that Kendall could hit .290 again or even crack the .300 barrier, now that he’s healthier than he’s been in a while.

    Let’s give the guy a look? He’s proven capable before, which is more than I can say for Pena.

    "The future, ain't what it used to be." ~Yogi Berra~

    by TheK-man on Feb 18, 2011 3:54 PM EST up reply actions  

    How you can call a guy a horrendous

    hitter who has a career .289 average, is beyond me.

    Just lay off the guy man. I think you just like to disagree with me no matter what I say, and your using Jason as a vehicle.

    Now, sit down, and write a nice long fan letter to Jason.

    "The future, ain't what it used to be." ~Yogi Berra~

    by TheK-man on Feb 18, 2011 3:57 PM EST up reply actions  

    You just asked me to look at Pena’s last few seasons…but I’m not permitted to consider Kendall’s past??

    You should, of course, look at the last few seasons of both players. Not just the most recent season for any player, and not 5+ years ago for any player.

    Granted, it’s been awhile, but Pena will never hit over .300 once.

    It’s been a long while, therefore irrelevant to the present, especially given Kendall’s age.
    How you can call a guy a horrendous hitter who has a career .289 average, is beyond me.

    Because I’m talking about how good is now, not how good he was long ago. What you said makes about as much sense as, “How can you call a guy old who was once 10 years old?”
    Just lay off the guy man. I think you just like to disagree with me no matter what I say, and your using Jason as a vehicle.

    You are the one who started off complaining about how we unfairly “hate” on Kendall. I’m just pointing out that your complaint is particularly silly. He sucks and we say he sucks. That makes sense. Your only counter-argument is that at one time he didn’t suck. I wish the Royals had a time machine. They don’t. He really, truly sucks.

    You may know me as NYRoyal.

    by Scott McKinney on Feb 18, 2011 4:51 PM EST up reply actions  

    Well then, you're going to have

    to watch a Royals catcher who sucks all season long, because he’s our catcher until someone better is ready. We’ll see what kind of a year he has. If he hits .300 and steals 25 bases and has a .995 fielding percentage, it wouldn’t shock me. But that wouldn’t make you happy. You’d just find other reasons to hate the guy on his way out of town. I guess what bothers me, is that, if a guy is playing poorly and you want to say they suck, that’s fine, but there seems to be a genuine hatred of Kendall going around which I can’t figure out. Being at the end of a fine career is not a reason to hate someone. It’s just hard for me to figure out, what the reason for all the contempt is. It just seems like wasted energy to me.

    "The future, ain't what it used to be." ~Yogi Berra~

    by TheK-man on Feb 19, 2011 4:36 AM EST up reply actions  

    he hasnt been even fucking close to 300

    since 2006 and he hasnt stolen 25 bases since 1998. If those things happen, you should be absolutely shocked….

    Fire Everyone

    by billybeingbilly on Feb 19, 2011 4:23 PM EST up reply actions  

    Yea, I'd be shocked if he stole

    25 bases. He’ll probably steal around 15 though, if he starts over 100 games. As far as .300 goes. It’s not likely, but it could happen. It would be good for us if he did. I’m pulling for him to do it.

    "The future, ain't what it used to be." ~Yogi Berra~

    by TheK-man on Feb 19, 2011 4:26 PM EST up reply actions  

    everyone is pulling for kendall to succeed...

    were royals fans. most of just know that its a near certainty that he wont do any of those things and very likely that he’ll suck and be worse than brayan pena. its not something that im going to get worked up about though. Kendalls gone after this year…pena isnt likely a major part of the future…its just dumb to play kendall all the time.

    Fire Everyone

    by billybeingbilly on Feb 19, 2011 4:29 PM EST up reply actions  

    Agreed. But the Royals don't have

    the balls to give their top catching prospects playing time, even in this conceded season. Mistake, if you ask me.

    "The future, ain't what it used to be." ~Yogi Berra~

    by TheK-man on Feb 20, 2011 5:22 PM EST up reply actions  

    Plus, Kendall was injured and is a career

    .289 hitter. Pena will never hit .289 over an entire career, if he’s lucky enough to extend it for a couple of more years. He’ll certainly never get to play in an all-star game. Kendall has 3 all-star nods.

    "The future, ain't what it used to be." ~Yogi Berra~

    by TheK-man on Feb 18, 2011 3:27 PM EST up reply actions  

    The last time he was an All-Star was 2000

    Juan Gonzalez won 2 MVPs – maybe we should give him another chance.

    Tension is the enemy. - Charlie Lau

    by aHorseWithNoName on Feb 18, 2011 3:33 PM EST up reply actions  

    They already did that...and Juan took the

    Royals for some big money and blew on out of town. He had 35 hits in 35 games for us and 5 dingers in 2004 and I think we paid him 4,000,000 million bucks to sit on the bench for 129 games.

    "The future, ain't what it used to be." ~Yogi Berra~

    by TheK-man on Feb 18, 2011 3:46 PM EST up reply actions  

    33 in 35 rather.

    "The future, ain't what it used to be." ~Yogi Berra~

    by TheK-man on Feb 18, 2011 3:46 PM EST up reply actions  

    yes I know

    That’s why I said “another”. I was joking…….

    Tension is the enemy. - Charlie Lau

    by aHorseWithNoName on Feb 18, 2011 3:47 PM EST up reply actions  

    I would have hoped that the Royals organization, and you, learned from that mistake.

    You may know me as NYRoyal.

    by Scott McKinney on Feb 18, 2011 3:47 PM EST up reply actions  

    lol. I don't think so. Rather, I

    thing they enjoy getting deeply penetrated. Gil Meche, Mike Sweeney, Jose Guillen. They like getting raped.

    "The future, ain't what it used to be." ~Yogi Berra~

    by TheK-man on Feb 18, 2011 3:59 PM EST up reply actions  

    Career numbers are irrelevant to the present

    What Kendall has done over his career has nothing to do with how good he is now. Will he ever hit .298 again? Of course not. Is Pena a better hitter now and going forward? Of course he is.

    You may know me as NYRoyal.

    by Scott McKinney on Feb 18, 2011 3:35 PM EST up reply actions  

    So, will you post an apology then if

    Kendall hits .300 on the year?

    "The future, ain't what it used to be." ~Yogi Berra~

    by TheK-man on Feb 18, 2011 4:00 PM EST up reply actions  

    Absolutely.

    "The future, ain't what it used to be." ~Yogi Berra~

    by TheK-man on Feb 19, 2011 4:27 PM EST up reply actions  

    No, I'm looking at a more meaningful sample of data

    The last three seasons is a larger and more meaningful sample than the partial seasons Kendall and Pena had in 2010.

    You may know me as NYRoyal.

    by Scott McKinney on Feb 18, 2011 3:34 PM EST up reply actions  

    At the plate (ignoring the sample size issue), Pena was better

    Pena wOBA: .290
    Kendall wOBA: .278

    Fielding, at least according to Fangraphs, has
    Pena: 0.0
    Kendall: -1.0
    (this is a counting stat, so it’s not fair to compare a player w/lots of innings to one without, but even so it’s hard to say that Pena’s fielding was worse.)

    The whole problem with the world is that fools & fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts. ~ Bertrand Russell

    by SagehenMacGyver47 on Feb 18, 2011 2:41 PM EST up reply actions  

    Ok...let's nail the sob to a cross then.

    "The future, ain't what it used to be." ~Yogi Berra~

    by TheK-man on Feb 18, 2011 2:43 PM EST up reply actions  

    How about we just say he sucks

    Which is what people on this site have been doing. Is that ok? Do we need to apologize for it?

    You may know me as NYRoyal.

    by Scott McKinney on Feb 18, 2011 3:14 PM EST up reply actions  

    Well, would you? lol.

    "The future, ain't what it used to be." ~Yogi Berra~

    by TheK-man on Feb 18, 2011 4:01 PM EST up reply actions  

    Naaa. You don't have to. Just don't do it again.

    "The future, ain't what it used to be." ~Yogi Berra~

    by TheK-man on Feb 18, 2011 4:01 PM EST up reply actions  

    That's nice

    I wish he was still good, but last year he wasn’t.

    You want to know why he “rarely strikes out”? Just under 25% of his last year’s PAs were over in 1 or 2 pitches (118 out of 490 PAs or once per game on average). It’s awfully difficult to K when you don’t even see 3 pitches.

    A great contact guy? Perhaps. It sure seems like a lot of this “contact” results in very weak ground ball outs to short or 2nd. It’s also funny that you mention his number of triples and homers since he didn’t hit any of those last year.

    Tension is the enemy. - Charlie Lau

    by aHorseWithNoName on Feb 18, 2011 11:55 AM EST up reply actions  

    Kendall truly is awesome

    His .297 slugging last year was the best at being the worst in his career and his .318 OBP was just second worst in his career (like Avis car rental, this should motivate him to try harder at being lousy). His 37 RBI, 0 HR and 18 2B were the fewest in his career.

    On defense, he merely gave up 101 SB last year (most in MLB), tied for the AL lead in catcher errors (a trivial 13 – only the worst since his rookie season in 1996), and his fielding percentage in 2010 was only his worst since being a rookie.

    He had a good year in 2006 and hit over .300 a bunch of times a long time ago. While his 2007-2010 numbers were only .246/.319/.309, isn’t coasting on past laurels enough?

    by kansasjohn on Feb 19, 2011 4:45 PM EST up reply actions   1 recs

    Cameron Maybin warns everyone about Panda Express

    http://www.gaslampball.com/2011/2/15/1995401/cameron-maybin-warns-against-eating-panda-express-padres-and-panda

    Do they have them in KC?I have to admit my only knowledge of them seems to be from airports.

    Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com

    by RoyalsRetro on Feb 17, 2011 11:28 AM EST reply actions  

    Two-entree plate

    with Orange Chicken and Beijing Beef, FTW. Unlike Mr. Maybin, I’ve never experienced any gastrointestinal problems with it. It’s really some of the most consistently good, fast Chinese around.

    There’s one at 79th and State Line and another at 91st and Metcalf, if you want to check them out, Retro. And both have drive-thrus.

    by Sweep_the_Leg on Feb 17, 2011 12:11 PM EST up reply actions  

    Should I wear a diaper?

    Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com

    by RoyalsRetro on Feb 17, 2011 12:33 PM EST up reply actions  

    If your bowels are as sensitive as Cameron Maybin's

    then I guess so. However, I have had much, much worse Chinese before, and never had any problems. Maybe the Panda Express wasn’t the culprit in Mr. Maybin’s recent incident.

    by Sweep_the_Leg on Feb 17, 2011 12:39 PM EST up reply actions  

    While I try to avoid Panda, it's in our food court and enters the lunch rotation now and agian

    Sadly, it is the best place to get vegetables during my lunch option (outside of eating my own food and/or getting a salad, of course). If I get “mixed vegetables” as the side instead of rice/noodles, then I end up with about half Orange Chicken, half broccoli/zucchini/carrots.

    The whole problem with the world is that fools & fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts. ~ Bertrand Russell

    by SagehenMacGyver47 on Feb 17, 2011 3:27 PM EST up reply actions  

    I don't eat Chinese food unless the Crab Rangoon are tasty.

    Panda Express’s Crab Rangoon is the most bland I’ve ever had. The new super buffett in Blue Springs is a close second for blandness (but they have Mongolian BBQ which is excellent, and sushi on the buffet which is ok for the price).

    By the way, I’ve always had the impression that Crab Rangoon is the plural and singular form of the word. “Crab Rangoons” sounds silly to me, and “Crabs Rangoon” isn’t much better. Is there something definitive on this? I’ve got to say it really hurts my ear to hear someone say “Crab Rangoons”.

    by AxDxMx on Feb 17, 2011 2:01 PM EST up reply actions  

    What's a good Chinese carryout place in KC?

    Let’s leave out places like Blue Koi, Bo Ling’s, etc. I mean hole in the wall places. Any good ones? My fave is China Star in Roeland Park just off I-35 on Roe.

    Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com

    by RoyalsRetro on Feb 17, 2011 2:15 PM EST up reply actions  

    there's kin lin around 51st and oak

    some people love it, some people hate it.

    by 9il on Feb 17, 2011 2:25 PM EST up reply actions  

    You'll need more than one. Take a spare.

    "The future, ain't what it used to be." ~Yogi Berra~

    by TheK-man on Feb 18, 2011 2:49 PM EST up reply actions  

    I would rank Sandler's female co-stars as follows:

    1. Salma Hayek
    2. Brooklyn Decker
    3. Emanuelle Chriqui
    4. Winona Ryder (I’ve had a thing for her since the 80’s)
    5. Jennifer Aniston

    You may know me as NYRoyal.

    by Scott McKinney on Feb 17, 2011 2:46 PM EST reply actions   1 recs

    I think that's about right

    Although I have Hayek a bit lower as I’m not a boob guy. Decker and Chriqui would have to fight it out for #1, preferably in a vat filled with jello.

    Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com

    by RoyalsRetro on Feb 17, 2011 2:52 PM EST up reply actions  

    And where is Veronica Vaughn?

    So hot! Want to touch the hiney! Ahoooooo!

    Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com

    by RoyalsRetro on Feb 17, 2011 2:53 PM EST up reply actions   1 recs

    very dated looking now

    very late 80s early 90s looking for some reason to me

    by Freneau on Feb 17, 2011 3:28 PM EST up reply actions  

    What, no love for Kathy Bates?

    Which one had Salma Hayek? I genuinely liked Happy Gilmore, Wedding Singer, and Waterboy, but have skipped pretty much everything after Little Nicky and the one in Hawaii with Drew Barrymore, whichever came later (aside from the semi-serious Funny People, which had its moments but was wildly uneven).

    by Gopherballs on Feb 17, 2011 4:08 PM EST up reply actions  

    Hayek was in that reunion-of-old-friends movie from last year

    Didn’t see it, but it didn’t look good. When you can’t find a half dozen genuinely funny moments to fill a 30-second commercial, it’s not a good sign. When is the last time Sandler made a good movie? Punch Drunk Love was surprisingly good. Spanglish was meh. Zohan was meh. The rest of the more recent ones were varying degrees of bad. So I’d put his last good movie at 2002.

    You may know me as NYRoyal.

    by Scott McKinney on Feb 17, 2011 5:34 PM EST up reply actions  

    I saw Zohan ironically it's opening weekend

    definitely in the so bad its good category for me

    by Freneau on Feb 17, 2011 5:58 PM EST up reply actions  

    Is Sony guts!

    Which was, of course, appropriated from Sabra Price is Right back in the early 90’s.

    by Sweep_the_Leg on Feb 17, 2011 6:06 PM EST up reply actions  

    Come to think of it

    I did see Zohan on cable when I was home with a sick toddler and nothing else was on. Just below “meh.”

    Sabra Price is Right was 100% better. Disco! Disco!

    by Gopherballs on Feb 17, 2011 6:09 PM EST up reply actions  

    David Spade or Rob Schneider on a movie poster = automatic skip

    Like a lot of comedians, Sandler’s shtick worked early in his career, but got old quickly — see Robin Williams, Mike Meyers, and now Will Ferrell.

    by Gopherballs on Feb 17, 2011 6:07 PM EST up reply actions  

    Although Sandler and Myers were never all that funny

    To be fair, I’m not sure any cinematic body of work has aged worse than Myers’.

    Making watching baseball as fun as doing your taxes.
    My Twitter feed.

    by Matt Klaassen on Feb 17, 2011 6:28 PM EST up reply actions  

    I liked the first Wayne's World, So I Married an Axe Murderer, and first Austin Powers

    Wayne’s World 2 and the first Shrek were not bad. I came to hate everything else he did, as he just repeated the same jokes and mugging over and over and over again.

    by Gopherballs on Feb 17, 2011 8:18 PM EST up reply actions  

    Jack Black has really picked up the smirking at the camera, too

    it’s incredibly annoying/uncomfortable

    Making watching baseball as fun as doing your taxes.
    My Twitter feed.

    by Matt Klaassen on Feb 18, 2011 8:27 AM EST up reply actions  

    Well...

    You can’t do the same Scottish accent in every film and not have it get pretty tiresome. I have a number of Canadien comic friends who say Myers lifted most of his bits from an old program up there and brought them south to SNL. And “Wayne’s World” (1992), was ‘thought up’ shortly after viewing “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure” (1989), when Myers joined the cast of SNL in oddly, 1989. He’s a genius.

    "...'Whachoo readin' for?'" - Bill Hicks

    by setupunchtag on Feb 20, 2011 11:42 AM EST up reply actions  

    funny people was an awesome movie...

    if you didnt go into it expecting it to be a sandler/rogan knee slapper. it was funny and a legitimately good movie IMO

    Fire Everyone

    by billybeingbilly on Feb 18, 2011 10:40 AM EST up reply actions  

    He worked with Kate Beckinsale though...

    She needs to be at the top

    Your 2010 Royals Review Fantasy Football Keeper League Champion
    Pitchers and Catchers report Feb 15, 2011

    by averagegatsby on Feb 17, 2011 5:32 PM EST up reply actions  

    She's pretty, but she really doesn't do it for me

    Pretty, but not sexy. Just my two cents.

    You may know me as NYRoyal.

    by Scott McKinney on Feb 17, 2011 5:34 PM EST up reply actions  

    Good call

    Although she has had a lot of work done. But I commend her doctor.

    Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com

    by RoyalsRetro on Feb 17, 2011 9:56 PM EST up reply actions  

    Ummm...

    Jessica Biel?

    Hating life as a Royals fan 365 days a year at Royalscentricity

    by Old Man Duggan on Feb 17, 2011 8:05 PM EST up reply actions  

    She was probably a toss-up for #5 with Aniston.

    You may know me as NYRoyal.

    by Scott McKinney on Feb 17, 2011 8:46 PM EST up reply actions  

    thats saying something....

    sandlers movies may have gone downhll…but he can sure pick the women….im absolutely in love with aniston and cant make an argument for her being any higher.

    Fire Everyone

    by billybeingbilly on Feb 18, 2011 10:41 AM EST up reply actions  

    Whispers from ST
    Ben Nicholson-Smith of mlbtraderumors said that the Royals and Yu Darvish seem like a fit. I agree. Darvish will cost a lot of money but a lot of the will be in the posting fee. Basically this could be viewed as a major signing bonus enabling the Royals to front load their investment. Something they couldn’t do if they invest a similar amount of money in the free agent market.

    Interesting, although we’d be a long-shot I imagine.

    Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com

    by RoyalsRetro on Feb 17, 2011 2:56 PM EST reply actions  

    I don't really know if Darvish makes sense for the Royals

    Five years ago, Matsuzaka cost $51M plus a 6/$52M contract. And Darvish is younger and better. Add in inflation and how much will Darvish go for? $65M + 6/$66M? That’s probably conservative. Does that kind of risk make sense for a team like the Royals? Would Glass be willing to take a big loss for one year by shelling out $76M for one player for one year (on top of at least $40M for the rest of the major league payroll? I doubt it. Few would. The Red Sox could afford to do it because of their revenues and because there was big short-term upside for them (as in, playoff success).

    You may know me as NYRoyal.

    by Scott McKinney on Feb 17, 2011 3:04 PM EST up reply actions  

    Not saying Darvish would come cheap,

    but I wouldn’t be surprised if the career of Matsuzaka will make all teams wary about making such a large investment in a foreign player again.

    by 9il on Feb 17, 2011 3:10 PM EST up reply actions  

    It is a cautionary example

    But some team with a lot of money and desperate for a SP is going to put out a very big bid. Sounds like the Yankees to me. And I don’t think the Royals would outbid the Yankees. Sure the Royals could try a low-ball sealed bid of $30M hoping every other team is very worried about the risk, but I think the chance of that succeeding would be less than 1%. I’d be willing to bet right now that the winning bid is in excess of $60M. And then it is anyone’s guess how huge the contract would end up being.

    You may know me as NYRoyal.

    by Scott McKinney on Feb 17, 2011 3:13 PM EST up reply actions  

    Yeah, they want and need him so badly (especially if CC opts out of his contract) that I think they’ll make a huge bid for him, big enough that it guarantees them it will be the highest). Could be as much as $75M. If I were in the Boston FO, I’d talk non-stop about how much I want Darvish and that the Sox will spend big to try to get him.

    You may know me as NYRoyal.

    by Scott McKinney on Feb 18, 2011 1:50 PM EST up reply actions  

    Here's a great Op-Ed on Kendall from Royals Authority.

    It makes a lot of sense. If you havn’t read it yet, it’s definitely worth a read.

    http://www.royalsauthority.com/?p=3684

    I hope they just use Kendall as a back-up in 2011 and start Pena. He needs at bats and he needs to log time behind the plate.

    But if they platoon him with Kendall, I’m gonna support Kendall 100%. I may not like it…but I’m not going to bad mouth the guy, just because the coaches want him in there, and he loves playing the game.

    It’s hard for a guy who’s been playing as long as he has, to recognize, that he’s not really helping the team by playing. Give the guy a little time to come to grips with that fact, and he’ll come to the right conclusion, and bow out gracefully.

    Right now, the man is gasping his last breath and trying to hold on…he’s in his denial phase.

    It won’t be long now. Patience and a little understanding from the fans is what he needs right now.

    He’s a good person. We owe him that much. Or at least I think we do.

    "The future, ain't what it used to be." ~Yogi Berra~

    by TheK-man on Feb 19, 2011 5:02 PM EST reply actions  

    he hasnt been able to play the game for quite some time...

    he’s not going to come to grips….he’s going to be forced out…that much is clear. he wont be in the league next year b/c nobody will make him an offer.

    Fire Everyone

    by billybeingbilly on Feb 19, 2011 6:11 PM EST up reply actions  

    Probably so. That's pretty obvious at this point.

    But it wouldn’t surprise me to see him land somewhere either.

    "The future, ain't what it used to be." ~Yogi Berra~

    by TheK-man on Feb 20, 2011 5:17 PM EST up reply actions  

    It is not a flattering piece about Kendall

    with lines like “can’t contribute anything with the bat . . . for years,” catching skills “have eroded,” would not “be a productive player if he returns,” “no reason to stick around” and game passed him by. Craig Brown doesn’t seem to be contributing to any patience and understanding, but he is being pragmatic.

    by kansasjohn on Feb 20, 2011 2:41 PM EST up reply actions  

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