But as I sit here after my 8 o clock class with an unusual amount of energy, I am here to change that! Let's do some quick hits:
-First and foremost...JASON BAY IS GONE!!!! Met fans around the world can rejoice! Once I saw Jason Bay trending on Twitter, I didn't know what to think. "Wait, could the Mets have possibly given him an extension??!! Did he manage to somehow strikeout with the bases loaded in the offseason??!! Hold on...he probably grounded into a double play in the 9th with the tying run on base!!" Remarkably, none of these were true! The day Met fans have been waiting for came earlier than expected, with the Mets essentially paying this man to leave the premises as soon as possible. Good for Bay though honestly. He knows he can't help the team and is deeply disliked (tried to be nice) throughout the New York fan base, not necessarily because he is a bad guy (he always hustles), but because we paid him 60 million dollars and he did his best Rey Ordonez impression in the batter's box throughout his Mets tenure. He took his money and left, and now both parties can move on from one of the biggest debacles in Mets free agency history. And to make that list is truly an honor by the way...that list runs extremely deep and requires a "came to the Mets and ruined my chances at making the Hall-of Fame" aspect, or some sort of "I was a perennial All-Star until I came to the Mets" resemblance. Congrats Jason Bay, you definitely fulfill the latter. You can now join a "horrendous history of horrendous Mets free agency signings" club that includes George Foster, Bobby Bonilla, Roberto Alomar (still made the Hall of Fame), Mo Vaughn (are we still paying him??), Kaz Matsui (Remember that guy!!). And I can't forget the most recents: Luis "the guy who dropped a routine pop-up that let the Yankees win and single handily steered our season in the wrong direction" Castillo. Francisco Rodriguez and JJ Putz...and maybe most infamously...the great Oliver Perez. There's too many more to name. I fully expect the Mets to dish Albert Pujols a three-year contract worth $60 million when he is done in LA at the age of 42. Just brace for it Met fans.
-Let's stay right here and let's congratulate R.A. Dickey on winning the Cy Young, representing the only positive outcome of the 2012 season minus Jason Bay's departure, of course. Dickey's story is truly inspiring and he truly deserved the award for a magnificent season.
-Here's where I end the ecstasy of Dickey's season and share my strictly-business opinion. Look, I love the guy. He's really a great man. However, as a 38 year-old knuckleballer who just won a Cy Young, and for someone who is reportedly asking for a lot of money, the Mets NEED to take advantage of this opportunity. I'm not sure exactly what Dickey could bring in return, but the Mets are in desperate need of outfield help and I'm quite certain that Dickey could bring back a starting outfielder at the very least. I'm sorry, we can't afford to give this guy Cy Young money. Hell he probably deserves it, but this has too many "this guy starts to suck after he gets paid" warning flags for me. Met fans know this all too well. We aren't going to win this year, and I reiterate that he will be turning 39 during the season. Yes, I know knuckle-ballers last longer and Tim Wakefield pitched until he was 67; but if the Mets are going to win in the next five years, they need to pay a man named David Wright, not R.A. Dickey.
-Sorry R.A.
-Sticking with baseball, I must acknowledge the most widely debated MVP race in my lifetime. Both Miguel Cabrera and Mike Trout deserved it and I can't complain either way, but as a fellow Jersey-ian I was rooting for Trout. This was such a cool debate because the two represented a clash of generations--old school who value the traditional Triple Crown statistics against the new school computer nerds who worship sabermetrics. The old school vowed for Cabrera while the new school marveled at Mike Trout's historical season. For any of my fellow horse racing fans out there, this was an Alydar-Affirmed type of battle. But 22 out of 28 1st place votes for Cabrera? C'mon. Should have been much closer than that.
-Personally, I value Trout's overall numbers and production higher than Cabrera's Triple Crown feat. Trout hit 30 homeruns batting lead-off, knocked in 83 runs batting lead-off, scored 129 runs and stole 49 bases, leading the MLB despite being called up a month into the season. O, and he only got caught stealing 5 times. 49 of 54? Unbelievable. I just think his season was more remarkable and improbable. Trout was the first player EVER to hit 30 homers, steal 45 bases, and score 125 runs. Not to mention, Cabrera is a defensive liability while Trout may already be the best center-fielder in baseball. If I can quote Jayson Stark from ESPN, "No player in the history of baseball has combined in so many areas of excellence into the same season."
Wins Above Replacement Comparison (The favorite stat of new schoolers)
Trout's WAR: 10.7
Miggy's WAR: 6.9
Trout's WAR was the highest in nearly over twenty years for guys that aren't named Bonds. To also put that in perspective, his WAR was higher than Mantle's in 1961, Mays in 1954. Some names that surround Trout's war total: Ruth, Hornsby, Cobb, Gehrig, Williams...I think you get the point.
The bottom line I guess was that Cabrera's team made the playoffs and Trout's didn't. However, I would like to add that the Angels did win more games than the Tigers despite missing the playoffs, and their winning percentage with Trout in the lineup was greater than that of the Tigers with Cabrera.
I guess I am new school.
-Even though I strongly dislike the NBA (I promise I will eventually explain why in detail), I'll take this time to honor the Knicks current undefeated season. I don't watch them, but I am always on board with a local team contributing to the local sports buzz. Also consider me on board on anything that can possibly derail the Lebron James and Miami Heat train. Go Knicks! <<I've never said that before in my life.
-My sport of choice at this time of the year to compliment football still sadly remains in lockout. Truly a shame. Gary Bettman has all but clinched the "worst commissioner in sports" title. Three lockouts during his tenure, and this one coming just when the NHL started to gain a little bit of steam. Sigh.
-Speaking of football, thank god the Giants are on a bye. I couldn't stand another week. I guess I shouldn't be complaining considering I definitely have Jet-fan readers, but I cannot remember a worse three-game stretch of football exhibited by Eli Manning since his rookie year. Once again, I am complaining about a two-time Super Bowl champ/Super Bowl MVP, but he has truly been awful in the last three games. The bye is much needed.
-For my Jet-fan readers, I guess it's funny that I mention "worse three-game stretch of football." How many times can you have said that about Mark Sanchez? I would imagine multiple. Or several. If Sanchez is once again awful this week, how can you not at least give Tebow a chance? How can he be worse? The Jets offense carries 8-5 odds of a 3-and-out on any given possession. I don't know, if they once again are getting embarrassed come the 4th quarter...give the man a shot.
-Finally, can the NFL PLEASE get rid of Thursday Night Football. It is unbearable. Both teams are running on fumes, every matchup is comically unappealing, and the quality of football on three days rest is drastically reduced. And if the NFL is so concerned with the safety of players, how does playing two football games in a five-day span support their concern? What about all of those "mini-concussions" that players speak of? The concussions that go unreported. These are guys are playing three days earlier than usual and are putting themselves at a greater risk. It's just not worth it. Put an end to it Goodell.
That's all I got. Enjoy the weekend everybody and a Happy Thanksgiving.
-Chris Collins
Follow Chris @ChrisCollins127
Follow Chris and PJ @IceBathReport
Wins Above Replacement Comparison (The favorite stat of new schoolers)
Trout's WAR: 10.7
Miggy's WAR: 6.9
Trout's WAR was the highest in nearly over twenty years for guys that aren't named Bonds. To also put that in perspective, his WAR was higher than Mantle's in 1961, Mays in 1954. Some names that surround Trout's war total: Ruth, Hornsby, Cobb, Gehrig, Williams...I think you get the point.
The bottom line I guess was that Cabrera's team made the playoffs and Trout's didn't. However, I would like to add that the Angels did win more games than the Tigers despite missing the playoffs, and their winning percentage with Trout in the lineup was greater than that of the Tigers with Cabrera.
I guess I am new school.
-Even though I strongly dislike the NBA (I promise I will eventually explain why in detail), I'll take this time to honor the Knicks current undefeated season. I don't watch them, but I am always on board with a local team contributing to the local sports buzz. Also consider me on board on anything that can possibly derail the Lebron James and Miami Heat train. Go Knicks! <<I've never said that before in my life.
-My sport of choice at this time of the year to compliment football still sadly remains in lockout. Truly a shame. Gary Bettman has all but clinched the "worst commissioner in sports" title. Three lockouts during his tenure, and this one coming just when the NHL started to gain a little bit of steam. Sigh.
-Speaking of football, thank god the Giants are on a bye. I couldn't stand another week. I guess I shouldn't be complaining considering I definitely have Jet-fan readers, but I cannot remember a worse three-game stretch of football exhibited by Eli Manning since his rookie year. Once again, I am complaining about a two-time Super Bowl champ/Super Bowl MVP, but he has truly been awful in the last three games. The bye is much needed.
-For my Jet-fan readers, I guess it's funny that I mention "worse three-game stretch of football." How many times can you have said that about Mark Sanchez? I would imagine multiple. Or several. If Sanchez is once again awful this week, how can you not at least give Tebow a chance? How can he be worse? The Jets offense carries 8-5 odds of a 3-and-out on any given possession. I don't know, if they once again are getting embarrassed come the 4th quarter...give the man a shot.
-Finally, can the NFL PLEASE get rid of Thursday Night Football. It is unbearable. Both teams are running on fumes, every matchup is comically unappealing, and the quality of football on three days rest is drastically reduced. And if the NFL is so concerned with the safety of players, how does playing two football games in a five-day span support their concern? What about all of those "mini-concussions" that players speak of? The concussions that go unreported. These are guys are playing three days earlier than usual and are putting themselves at a greater risk. It's just not worth it. Put an end to it Goodell.
That's all I got. Enjoy the weekend everybody and a Happy Thanksgiving.
-Chris Collins
Follow Chris @ChrisCollins127
Follow Chris and PJ @IceBathReport
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