Around the Cooler 06/17/13 – “It’s mid-June and all our teams are terrible…”
Here’s what we’re talking about:
“…and I’m going to buy a Breitling watch for each of my pet iguanas…”
- Flyers defenseman Mark Streit musing about his newfound riches. (Not a real quote)
Image via 98.5 Sports
- Rollin’ 3-deep today as Nick makes his triumphant return to the the Cooler
- We note that the Phillies have six players under contract for 2014, at a total salary of $103.5M, then suggest that they all get traded (0:00)
- We break news to ourselves (at the time) that Mark Streit agreed to a 4-year, $21M contract with the Flyers and discuss cap implications moving forward. Can this team afford to keep Giroux, Schenn, and Couturier for 2014 and beyond? (27:00)
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Awesome musical theme written by the awesome Matthew Schwalm
Flyers Sign Streit to 4 Years $21 Million (UPDATE: Apparently it’s not official yet, but…)
It was always a matter of time until former Islander Mark Streit was signed, and now it seems that time has come.
Streit has been signed to a 4 year $21 million dollar contract, which also reportedly has a no-trade clause. For a 35 year-old defenseman that will be making $5.25 mil a year? That could really bite the Flyers in the ass.
We’ve already discussed the basics of the deal here when Streit was traded over. There’s also more in-depth analysis which you can catch in our podcast. Check back for that tomorrow.
Update 6/17 – 11:00p
The Flyers cannot officially amnesty Danny Briere or Ilya Bryzgalov until after the Stanley Cup Finals end, and because they currently sit at $2.5 million over the cap as-is, this deal cannot yet be officially completed. But it’s probably going to happen as soon as the team is actually allowed to do it. Maybe they will change their minds? Nah, that’s just wishful thinking. – Hank
Four for Four with 3D Philly Sports
As usual with our Four for Four segments, we asked some questions to our pals over at 3D Philly Sports about the state of our favorite franchises (You can check them out on Facebbook here). This time, Jim McNamee joined us in the conversation. Here’s the result.
1. You’re the Phillies GM. What’s your first move?
James: If you’re asking me what I would do if I was Ruben Amaro, my first move is to resign because I suck as the GM. However, if I was replacing Rueben as GM, I would do the following: Sell one of the following that you can this year, but ONLY if you get top flight prospects in return. Trade anyone who doesn’t have more than 2-3 years of contribution in them. That means Cliff Lee (for at minimum a top AAA batting prospect), Chase Utley (should he return to form in the upcoming weeks), Jimmy Rollins (still a top shortstop), or Jonathan Papelbon (why have a top closer on a .500 club?). Whichever of the previous mentioned can get you the best prospect, I would make that move by the deadline. However, this doesn’t mean the Philles should go into complete rebuilding mode for next year. Every offseason they should be buyers in free agency. Just stop trading prospects for 30+ year old players, ARE YOU LISTENING RUBEN? However that shouldn’t stop the Phillies from gunning for the top free agents. They’re getting a huge TV deal, and paying top dollar for top players should, and will be no issue monetarily.
Vince: If I’m the GM, the first thing I’m going to do is call every team in the league and drive up a bidding war for Cliff Lee. He’s already one of the central cogs of the rumor mill and he doesn’t want to be here any more (It’s hard to blame him for that.) So the sooner that you trade him off, the higher his return value. Done deal. Next, it comes down to either Utley or Papelbon and Cinco Ocho is the right pick. Letting Chase walk for nothing seems to sound worse to me than what his actual value dictates. Trade Pap for some more minor league talent and call this season a relative success for the future.
2. What do you think of Sam Hinkie drafting without a head coach?
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Happy Fathers Day! (Storytime Edition!)
For father’s day, I’d like to share a little story from my young days with my old man.
It was in the late 90′s so I was about seven at the time. My dad bought tickets to a Phillies game and brought me and my older brother.
We were ecstatic to be involved in the glory days of Mickey Morandini, Gregg Jeffries, and Kevin Stocker. They were the best in the world as far as I was concerned. It was also one of the first two or three games that I had seen for any professional team in the stadium and it was a fantastic, exciting feeling.
The Vet was just monstrous to me. It was almost unbelievable with the giant scoreboard and concrete towers. I knew I could have played the best game of tag EVER in that place with 5 million of my closest friends. And you know, the Phillies were going to play too.
Baseball really hit me with that timeless charm when we got to our seats. On the prior games I had been to it was always in the upper deck where you couldn’t see anything. But this time my dad got the tickets through his company. I still remember the clink of the metal as we walked down to our lower level seats, somewhere about eight rows back from home plate. Me and my brother (who smells, still) were blown away. We were basically right next to the action for the first time in our young lives. If we yelled, Mike Lieberthal would actually hear us. It was super cool.
However, the team was not up to our untamed expectations. The exact details are a bit fuzzy, but it was a close game to the end and the whole way through we cheered and hoped like hell that the home team would win the game. Once the final out was called and the Phillies officially lost I was crushed, the same with my brother.
My dad, in a sympathetic fashion put his arms around us for a moment and gave a deep breath. It was like he was feeling our pain. That he understood what we were feeling. He then look at both of us in the eyes and said “Boys, your guinea pig died.”
That’s for piling it on, Dad. Happy father’s day.
Flyers on the Streit and Narrow Minded
via thestar.com
The Flyers traded today for the rights of Islanders’ defenseman Mark Streit. Streit, 35, has been the Islanders’ captain over the last few years and was previously negotiating with the Isles prior to the trade. In exchange for Streit’s rights, the Flyers gave up right wing Shane Harper and the 4th round pick in the 2014 draft. In other words, not much.
The Flyers will now have exclusive negotiating rights with Streit until July 5th. If they can’t reach an agreement by that point, Streit will be able to field offers from anyone.
Streit could be a much needed addition for this team which has struggled with injuries, offensive production, and, well, defending. If you project Streit’s 2012-13 numbers over an 82 game season he’s averaged nearly 10 goals and 34 assists a year over his seven year career. (He was out for the entirety of the 2010-2011 season) Also, for those of you who love advanced stats, you can check out Streit’s numbers here, which are solid but not spectacular.
The big question right now then is: what will it cost to make him a Flyer?
Some Good News and Bad News
The Sixers had a bit of minor, but pleasant news yesterday.
All Star point guard Jrue Holiday being named one of the participants in the Team USA basketball mini-camp. Selected amongst names like Paul George, Kyrie Irving, Demarcus Cousins, and Damian Lillard it seems like Jrue has earned the respect of his peers after four NBA seasons.
The camp is very much a preliminary adventure—World Championships aren’t until next summer—but having Jrue get some time in with other up-and-coming players can only be beneficial despite the fact that he probably won’t make the roster. With a team that needs this much work, you take all of the positive you can.
If you’d like to look at the entire group of invited players, check it out here.
Jason Peters made the news for all of the wrong reasons.
As you’ve likely heard at this point, Jason Peters was arrested after being caught drag racing by police in Monroe, LA. Instead of pulling over like someone with any sense, Peters elected to try outrunning the police in his Camaro. You know, “allegedly.”
It’s reported that Peters drove his car over 100 mph while trying to evade police before eventually giving up and stopping in a mall parking lot. The other driver had pulled over almost immediately.
While this is an incredibly dumb move by Peters, everything should be fine from a football standpoint. The chances that he faces any serious legal penalties outside of a big fine are slim. The only real concern is whether or not the league decides to suspend him, which again is unlikely. Players pull of worse shit all of the time and manage to get away without losing paychecks.
For example, there’s likely nothing that will happen to Maurice Jones-Drew despite the fact that lots of evidence allegedly proves him guilty of battery against a bouncer.
So if you expect good behavior from your athletes feel free to wag a finger, but otherwise it’s news without virtually any impact. Peters will be the starter this year regardless.
Are you a Tebowmaniac?
Does Tim Tebow’s fame confuse you as much as it confused me?
I took a long, long time to study the phenomenon, and this essay is the result. Touching on historical, statistical, sociocultural, and media-related causes, this essay is a truly comprehensive study of Tebow’s baffling fame. Some of this stuff just might surprise you.
Chip Kelly’s Effect On The Top Fantasy Football Options On The Eagles
photo via cbsphilly.com
Whenever a new coach takes over a team in the NFL, changes will be made. Chip Kelly is a different type of coach, so a lot of people think a lot of changes will be happening in Philadelphia these next couple of years. From a fantasy football perspective, how will those changes affect production? Here’s a look at the top five players, and whether they will be better or worse under Kelly.
LeSean McCoy
Last season was a rough one for McCoy, who struggled with inconsistencies and a concussion. However, 2013 should be a great chance for him to bounce back, as Kelly’s fast offense will allow him to get a lot of touches with space. As long as the passing game is somewhat consistent, McCoy will see a slight increase in production with Kelly at the helm.
Jeremy Maclin
Like any wide receiver, Maclin’s production will come down to the quarterback throwing him passes. Kelly’s offense should benefit him though, because he has the physical tools to make big-time plays. This might be the year he finally puts it all together as a true #1 receiver, especially since he is playing in a contract season.
DeSean Jackson
One looks at Jackson’s speed and natural ability and thinks Kelly would make him a star. However, one thing a coach can’t do is teach a guy how to go over the middle. If Jackson can’t do that, his receiving numbers will not be any better than last season. Injuries are also a concern for Jackson, as he missed the last five games of the season in 2012. His numbers might go up simply because he is healthy, but Jackson won’t be able to benefit from Kelly.
Despite Rampant Steroid Usage, MLB has Huge Balls
image via personal.psu.edu
In what has become a super-scandal of sorts (Roidsgate, anyone? No?), the MLB could be suspending 20+ players due to their connection with a Florida group called Biogenesis. Assuming that most of the accused parties are suspended, this will be another damaging blow for baseball as it continues its quest to make the game clean.
Some of baseball’s biggest names are connected to Biogenesis. Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers, Nelson Cruz of the Rangers and the already disgraced Yankee Alex Rodriguez have all been listed as suspects thus far. This is great and terrible news.
On the surface, this is ugly. The war on steroids has been exhausting for the MLB as it fights to regain the image of America’s beloved pastime. The problem is that you need stars to sell every sport and when those stars appear tarnished (deserved or not) the casual fan shies away. Instead, they seek the stars who seem unquestionable, unbreakable, heroic…and from other sports.
The problem is that cheating is prevalent in all of the other leagues, they simply don’t have the guts to root it out.
For example, in the NBA eight players have been given suspensions for the use of banned substances. Ever. The most recent case being Hedo Turkoglu, who was suspended 20 games for using methenolone in February. However, the NBA is content with allowing cheating considering their questionable drug testing procedures and the presence of a star-loving, meddlesome commissioner in David Stern.
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Phillies Go Offensive in Draft
Is Crawford the next this guy? Cross your fingers. No, I mean it. Do it now!
In what is probably the least hyped draft in professional sports, the MLB (non-super) draft began last night.
The Phillies selected SS J.P. Crawford with the 16th overall pick in draft. An 18 year-old California native, is projected to be a player that resembles Philly’s 1996 pick Jimmy Rollins. Here’s what assistant GM Marti Wolever had to say:
“Physically, I just think he has to fill out a little bit and grow into his body a little bit more. We think down the road he is a .280, .290 hitter in the middle of the infield with a chance to steal some bases. He’s just got tremendous instincts for the game, which for a young guy is going to enable him to do some things that others wouldn’t be able to do at this time.”
For a little reference, Rollins is a career .270 hitter.
Now Crawford has committed to USC and could theoretically reject the Phillies offer in order to play college ball for a year, it’s probably not going to happen. Assume that Crawford’s going to sign in the near future and begin the long, troublesome climb out the minor leagues and into our hearts (aww). From there, depending on how Crawford develops both technically and physically, he could spend some time experimenting in center field as well. as icing on the cake, his cousin is Carl Crawford.
With their second round pick, the Phillies selected C Andrew Knapp out of Cal. Knapp, who batted .350 for the Golden Bears with eight home runs this year, will provide some needed youth to a very old position. Ruiz (34), Kratz (33) and Quintero (33) provide no future for the position whatsoever. The 21 year-old Knapp is also listed as a utility man, which means he could be moving around a bit as well in the minors if he struggles catching for more advanced pitchers.
For the rest of your info the draft as it progresses, check out thegoodphight.com or check back here once the draft is complete for a full recap.
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