Sunday, February 21, 2010

Good Story by Chico in the Post

Since he's already paid, you don't have to donate. But Chico Harlan wrote an excellent story on the arbitration process for today's paper with revealing quotes from a number of players. Somehow his editors cut the important bit of context that the Nationals have gone to arbitration nine times more often than all the other teams in baseball since the Kasten-Lerner regime began (6 hearings for the Nationals, 20 for the other 29 teams). Regardless of your take on the issue, that's a relevant and notable fact that shouldn't have been left out of this story. But now you know.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Mr. Anonymous, find where I used the words "organization is failing." You won't, because I haven't. So if you want to fight with a strawman, go find one. I'm not it.

Anonymous said...

Why are we wasting time talking about topical issues, aren't we due for an Aaron Crow post?

Mr. Mustache said...

If you don't like the schtick Anonymous, there are plenty of other blogs to read.

Anonymous said...

Here's some evidence that Bruney may just be an outlier at best, or a whiner at worst:

VIERA, Fla. -- A day after losing his arbitration case, Nationals reliever Sean Burnett didn't express any bitterness over the process.

Burnett expected the team to say a lot of negative things about him, but -- to his surprise -- it didn't.

"I lost. That's pretty much the gist of it," Burnett said Saturday. "You know it's going to be rough. It's going to be uncomfortable for two, three hours or whatever it's going to be. It's not the end of the world. It didn't get as ugly as I thought it would. I've heard stories where the players had nightmares. I didn't win. That's the bottom line."

Burnett will make $775,000 in '10 instead of the $925,000 he requested.

Bill Ladson is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Steven said...

You post this as if it somehow contrasts with my point. It doesn't.

Again, you can think Bruney is the spawn of satan. That doesn't change my point. It's the manager's job to get good innings out of the spawn of satan. It's a hard job. That's why they make the big bucks.

Anonymous said...

Your point seems to be that if they're too hard on the poor players by taking them to arbitration hearings, they're a failure as an organization. But if they're not hard on the players outside of arbitration, they're a failure as an organization. We get it. They're a failure as an organization, and you never post anything that doesn't support that point.

Will said...

Anonymous,

The Nationals record since 2005 is 343-466 (.424 W%). If you have information that would otherwise suggest this franchise is not a failure, I'd be happy to hear it.

In the meantime, I'm very content reading Steven's posts that don't inaccurately portray the Nationals as a good franchise.

Anonymous said...

Will,

I don't dispute that the Nationals are bad. All I was referring to is my original point - that there is good information on this blog that is ultimately tainted by his grudge against the front office. So, the arbitration numbers might be relevant, but I hardly think it's one of the topics of the spring, worth being written about repeatedly.

Consider it a suggestion for blog improvement: more informational posts, fewer unintentionally hilarious complaints that Riggleman doesn't force his pitching staff to take involuntary x-rays every 36 hours. Steven is a charlatan and deserves being called out for it.

Anonymous said...

I see the nasty arbitration process so discouraged and deflated Brian Bruney that he was the first one there today at 7 a.m. "working out and busting his tail." (Storen quote in NJ post) Looks like the team really screwed itself with that one.