I’ll keep updating this post as more hits come in.
I’ll be on the Herd this morning at 10:25 EDT (“Spanning the Globe”) and on ESPN 1050 in New York at 11:10 am EDT.
I’m scheduled to be on our deadline special on ESPNEWS on Thursday from 1-3 pm EDT, and then on ESPNEWS’ The Hot List at 4:10 pm EDT. I’ll also be on Pregame (6-8 pm EDT) that evening, but we haven’t fixed a time for the hit yet.
I never get to see or hear you so I won’t know if you discuss the Manny issue. If you were Theo, what is your expected return on Senor Ramirez?
would you have taken the DBacks package of Tracy/Owings or the Angels package of Kotchman/Marek?
Pudge for Farnsworth?
I never even heard that as a rumor!
It will take a little getting used to for me as a Yankees fan because I always hated Pudge… mainly for his penchant of killing the Yankees with timely hits.
And I guess the Yanks had to sell high on Farnsworth before he imploded. He never looked comfortable in NYC.
I was trying to wait for a book post, but there hasnt been one in a while…you should check out Absurdistan by Gary Shteyngart. I am really enjoying it, and from what I’ve read, I’m not alone.
Always your opening act. Always.
Mike – check my archives, I reviewed Absurdistan last year and didn’t like it.
And I’m backed up on book reviews. Struggling to write up The Road.
My review of the road can be found in the movie Stand By Me:
Did you ever notice how in the show Wagon Train, they never get anywhere? They just keep wagon training…
I think that sums up The Road for me. But I gave him another chance by starting the All the Pretty Horses trilogy and he has redeemed himself in my eyes.
Hey Keith – a little off topic, but what effect do you think Boras is having in the latest Manny-drama. I can’t help but think he’s prodding this (still bitter about Dice-K).
Do you feel it necessary to act pompous towards anything or anyone who thinks/acts/lives differently than you? I generally enjoy your opinions and perspective on things, but it’s often lost on me why you feel the need to be so arrogant about such things. I read you both here and ESPN.com and it’s just starting to become grating. I know you will probably respond with, “Then why do you read it?” but is that really an appropriate response? Alienating readers because of an unwillingness to be open to criticism/change/other opinions will leave you with a tiny group of devout followers. Maybe that works for a blog, but over at ESPN, I wouldn’t be happy if I was your editor. Maybe they are, but your insulting tone is going to start losing readers, starting with me. I hope that you are able to make adjustments to make your content more accessible, but nothing I have seen over the past few years has indicated as much…
Keith – What happened to Paul Konerko? I saw that you recommended that he get benched as a result of the Griffey trade, and was surprised. I checked his stats this year and was shocked to see how poorly he’s been hitting.
Jeff, he’s had a hand injury all season. Plus he’s 32, and slow-footed sluggers who are 32 tend to age like slow-footed sluggers who are 32.
He’s still not 74 OPS+ bad, but I’d say gone are the days of 115 to 135.
Brian:
I don’t agree that arrogance is pervasive in Keith’s writing. I can only presume that you are referring to the chats, but I don’t think he is ever particularly unfair. Not all opinions are equal, and there is such a thing as an opinion that has no basis in fact or reality.
If I were in the public eye, I wouldn’t respond to all criticism equally, rather I would only respond to criticism that is well-founded and based on specific recommendations as to what is wrong and how things can be improved. For instance, you work on the general premise that Keith is arrogant but don’t explain how you came to that conclusion. How is that helpful? It is based on nothing more than your opinion without the offering of any specifics to back it up. Should he change his style and manner to suit your whim? Why should he value your unsupported opinion?
Brian,
Why should Keith change his stylistic approach? I find Keith’s style rather enjoyable and insightful. Frankly, if someone makes a stupid comment he should be called out on it – but Keith isn’t cruel; he’s honest and funny.
The nature of being thoughtful is to have a critical opinion. Keith is thoughtful and opinionated and doesn’t shy away from defending his argument. This is a good thing.
Finally, I find your argument regarding open-mindendness entirely hypocritical. Why aren’t you more open-minded about stylistic differences and differing opinions? Thank God Keith doesn’t write in a manner you’d find more agreeable because you bore me, Brian. How about that for an arrogant opinion?!