Pretty Girl 08.01.11 - Aviva Farber

Can you believe that this is the same chick that McLovin' was drooling over in Superbad?  Wow.

Only A Sure Thing Is A Sure Thing

Yay, Ubaldo Jimenez!  When an organization gives up prospects #2 (Alex White), #4 (Drew Pomeranz) & #9 (Joe Gardner) at the trading deadline (plus former 2nd round pick, Matt McBride), the return should be a proven major league commodity.  Despite the fact that Jimenez will remain under team control through 2014, we have absolutely no idea what we will be getting.  Over his past 40 starts, Ubaldo is 12-16 with 4.80 ERA.  That does not sound like a number one starter to me.  With a velocity dip of between 3 & 4 MPH on his best two pitches and 2011 WHIP of nearly 1.4, he does not inspire fear in anyone.  What he might do in any given start is a microcosm of what he might do over the next few seasons, it is anyone's guess.  I do not mean that in the "no one can predict the future" sense.  Rather the Indians have traded a handful of young prospects for a 27-year with great potential, who has yet to put together for more than a couple of months at the big league level and has already been hampered by a number of nagging injuries.

While the sensation of having the Tribe bringing on talent instead of fire-selling it away certainly warms the cockles of my heart, I cringe to wonder what this trade might reap.  When the organization traded away CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee, each coming off of a Cy Young season, their dominance had already inspired some to predict Hall of Fame futures.  While I understand that this is, by all means putting, the cart before the horse, it seems much more likely that Jimenez will slot with Ernie Broglio and Doyle Alexander and it will be Drew Pomeranz that is spoken of alongside Lou Brock and John Smoltz.  Don't know who the first two are?  Exactly.  Hell, even it is not Pom, it could be White or Gardner.  Think about that as you marvel at how similar Ubaldo is to one Fausto Carmona.  Wonder why he has such tantalizing option years the first time that he walks six and lasts 10 outs.

If this team had been one or two players short of making a serious run at a pennant, then, as a mid-market team, this is the sort of trade that reality necessitates.  Sadly, the 2011 Indians, now sitting a single game over .500 and with 23 wins in their past 60 games, are not that team.  Even if young talent, incisive moves and pure dumb luck conspire to produce a playoff appearance, it will be brief.  Is a token ALDS appearance worth bending over backwards for the team we should have swept in 2007?

I understand that murderer's row redux does not equal a world championship, but betting the farm on a guy that is, at best, a coin flip is a great way to preclude playing for one for yet another decade.

All of that being said, I do very much hope that I am exactly wrong.

Cheers

C'mon This Is Basic Stuff

Normally, I feel as if everyone is entitled to their own opinion.  While I might disagree with an assertion, I am always open to another point of view.  There is one staggering caveat here: the argument must be supported with some kind of evidence.

That being said, I cannot believe that either the PD or Cleveland.com allowed this piece to see the light of day.  Here is the gist of the author's position: with Josh Hamilton the Rangers play (as of 07.22) .661 ball, without him .421.  Both Ian Kinsler and Adrian Beltre have a higher WAR than Hamilton.  Thus, WAR is a silly "new-fangled" statistic that provides no useful information. 

I could take innumerable stances against this contention.  How about "WAR accounts for games played, rather than games not played, especially those lost after breaking your arm trying to score from third on a pop out to between home and third.  Maybe WAR rewards those who do not make god awful stupid decisions.  You would need to take a WAR/G average to build in games missed due to injury."  Or "Look at the top 10 in career WAR (Ruth, Bonds, Cobb, Mays, Cy Young, Aaron, Walter Johnson, Wagner, Speaker, Clemens) and tell me that it does a poor job of ranking players.  Of the top 63 in career WAR, all of them are either in the Hall of Fame, definitely will be in the Hall of Fame (think Maddux), or have been caught up in the steroid scandal.  If you want to allow a couple of 19th century guys and Peter Edward Rose, then it covers the top 83."  I could take issue with this entirely subjective and unsupported statement --

"And maybe it doesn't matter that Hamilton continues to drive in runs at a lofty pace; is such a feared hitter that the batters around him get better pitches to hit; is an outstanding base-runner; has excellent range in the outfield and a great throwing arm; plays hard almost to a fault; is integral to the Rangers' excellent camaraderie and chemistry, etc."

Thankfully, I do not need to make any of those arguments.  All I need to do is simply point out one of the most basic logical theorems: CORRELATION DOES NOT PROVE CAUSATION!!!!!  Did I put enough emphasis on that?  Am I going to waste my time digging into the myriad of reasons that Rangers did not perform well during those 38 games?  Absolutely not.  The pure fact is that just because Texas plays 200 points lower without Hamilton does not mean it was because Hamilton was not in the lineup.  For instance, the Cardinals had a higher slugging percentage when Albert Pujols was on the DL.  Weird.  That is because there are an incalculable amount of variables at play.  Hey, my Indians are 0-5 this season when I watch the game at a bar.  Thus, obviously, the place at which I watch the game has a direct negative influence on the Tribe's ability to win.  Right?  Right?

If the author wants to express his deep and abiding man-crush on Josh Hamilton or continue to live in an antiquated fantasy world where batting average is still the premier statistic, I'm cool with that, but it is simply deplorable that a respected media outlet would print the ramble.  The author closes his piece as follows --

"Maybe Hamilton's "Wins Above Replacement" is so far off the charts it's simply invisible."

Maybe Mike Pettica's understanding of  baseball is so minuscule it's simply non-existent and the only reason that he is still being paid is that he has 40 years of experience.  (Nice assumed "that" and contracted "it's", you hack.)

Cheers.

Lessons of 1995

The thing about pitching prospects is they tend to not pan out. Pom and White are being described as two front of the rotation guys, but the chances are very good one of those guys is going to be a flop. And the one that succeeds is going to eat up a lot of his MLB service time perfecting his craft. Remember Cliff Lee wasn't even on the 2007 playoff rotation. And CC was mediocre for most of his time under the Indians control.

If you look at the deal in that light, getting 2 and a half years of Ubaldo is a great deal. Its a big assumption, but if his weak stats this year were due to an injury that really is behind him, he is a major addition to an already strong rotation. The tribe will get 2.5 years of a top notch pitcher. The reality of pitching prospects is that we probably weren't going to get 2.5 years of good pitching out of Pom and White, espically not in this window that has opened up to control the central.

Another aspect here is that Ubaldo came with a cheap contract. This trade didn't suck up scarce payroll dollars, and maybe they'll be able to make a run at some free agents this off season.

Fans I've talked to wanted a bat. But hitting didn't get it done for us in the 1990's. Ublaldo, Masterson, Tomlin, Carrasco, Carmona. That's a pretty good rotation. And we still have more in Columbus. With just a little bit of hitting out of the guys we already have this team can win the division.

HALLE BERRY

Halle Berry galleryHalle Maria Berry is an hollywood actress and top celebrity.she won Golden Globe and Emmy awards.She even received Academy Award for Best Actress in 2002 for her performance in Monster's Ball.Name: Halle Maria BerryBirth date: 14-08-1966Birth place: Cleveland, Ohio, United StatesParents: Jerome Jesse Berry and Judith Ann Married to: David Justice(92-96) and Eric Benét(01-05)Presen Partner: Gabriel Aubry (since2005)

ALICIA KEYS

Alicia Keys pictures and wallpapersAlicia J. Augello-Cook, better known by her stage name Alicia Keys, is an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, actress and pianist. Keys was born in the Manhattan, in New York City, New York. she is the only daughter of Teresa "Terria" Augello, a paralegal and part-time actress, and Craig Cook, a flight attendant.Her debut album, "Songs in A Minor" was a worldwide success and received five Grammy Awards in a single night in 2002, a record for female artists, which she shares with Lauryn Hill in 1999, Norah Jones in 2003, Beyoncé 2004, and Amy Winehouse 2008. she has sold over 28 million albums worldwide as of 2008 and has won eleven Grammy Awards. seventeen Billboard Music Awards, three American Music Awards. Keys has recently earned the title of the "Princess of Soul".Name: Alicia J. Augello-CookPet name: LellowBirth date: 25-01-1981Birth place: Manhattan, New York City, New York, United StatesPRofession: Singer-songwriter, pianist, composer, arranger, record producer, actress, music video director, philanthropist, authorGenre(s): Soul, Neo Soul, R&B, Jazz, Pop

ALI LANDRY

Ali Landry galleryAli landry was born on july 21,1973.Landry grew up in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana.Ali landry is a former Miss USA (1996), model, hollywood actress and celebrity. She is recognized as the Doritos Girl from her popular 1998 Super Bowl commercial. In 1998, she was named by People magazine as one of 50 most beautiful people in the world.Ali Landry was the highest placed of the finalists and eventually went on to win the Miss USA 1996 title, the first former Miss Teen USA delegate to win the title.She was married to film director Alejandro Gomez Monteverde on April 8, 2006 in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.Their daughter Estela Ines Monteverde was born on July 11, 2007.Her profile simply looks like this,Name: Ali Germaine LandryBirth date: 21-07-1973Birth place: Breaux Bridge, LouisianaHeight: 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)Hair color: BrownEye color: BrownMajor Competition(s): Miss Teen USA 1990 (Top 12): Miss USA 1996 (winner): Miss Universe 1996 (Top 6)Title(s): Miss Louisiana Teen USA 1990: Miss Louisiana USA 1996: Miss USA 1996

ALESSANDRA AMBROSIO

Alessandra Ambrosio galleryAlessandra Ambrosio is an American model and celebrity. She was born on 11th April 1981.Her parents were petrol station owners.Since childhood she was fascinated about modeling industry.Her profile looks like this,Name: Alessandra AmbrosioDate of birth: 11-04-1981Height: 5'10"Shoe size: 9"Hometown: Erexim,Brazilcurrent hometown: Newyork,USFirst modeling job: Brazilian ElleFavorite designer: Dolce and GabanaFavorite movies: stealing beauty,natural born killers,kamasutraFavorite books: The Da vinci code,Lord of the ringsFavorite beauty product: VS Angel MoisturizerFavorite passions: sunglasses,musicFavorite music: pearl jam,nirvana,rock,ben harper.Besides modeling work,Alessandra Ambrosio is the National Ambassador for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

ADRIANA LIMA

Adriana Lima wallpapers pictures picsAdriana Francesca Lima is a Brazilian supermodel. Lima is best known for her modeling work with Victoria's Secret and Maybelline. She was born on June- 12- 1981 to Nelson Torres and Maria da Graça Lima, a social worker. she has two half brothers, aged 7 and 11. Currently Lima is engaged to Serbian basketball player Marko Jaric of the NBA Minnesota Timberwolves.Name: Adriana Francesca LimaBirth Date: 12-06-1981Birth Place: Salvador, Bahia, BrazilHeight: 5 ft 10 inHair color: BrownEye color: green/ BlueMeasurements: 34-23-33 in

ABIGAIL CLANCY

Abigail Clancy wallpaper gallery
Abigail Rose Clancy is also known as Abi Clancy or Abbey Clancy, is an English lingerie and catwalk model. Born in Liverpool, Clancy was member of girl band Genie Queen, who were managed by 80s popstar Andy McCluskey from Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. The highlight of their career was supporting boyband Blue on tour. However, the band didn’t secure a record deal and fell apart.

After football striker Peter Crouch signed for Liverpool, the pair started dating. Clancy became a fully fledged WAG, and became part of the England teams WAG group during 2006 FIFA World Cup. The pair are now an irregular feature of various media stories, focusing on their relatively quiet and stable relationship. Her brother, Kyle Clancy is a professional footballer currently playing for Blackpool, and her other brother, Sean Clancy plays for Conference North club, Burscough.

Name: Abigail Clancy
Birth date: 10-01-1986
Birth Place: Liverpool, England
Height: 5 ft 9 in
Hair color: Blonde
Eye color: Blue

DIANA

princess Diana picture galleryDiana, Princess of Wales, was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales. Diana became a public figure from the announcement of her engagement to Prince Charles. Diana remained the focus of near-constant media scrutiny in the United Kingdom and around the world up to and during her marriage.After her divorce with prince williams, She publicly dated Hasnat Khan, a heart surgeon from Pakistan. Hasnat Khan was called "the love of her life". After two years Khan ended the relationship due to cultural differences. She soon after began her relationship with Dodi Al-Fayed. On 31 August 1997, Diana died after a car crash in the Pont de l'Alma road tunnel in Paris along with Dodi Al-Fayed.Name: Diana Frances SpencerBirth Date: 01-07-1961Birth Place: Park House, Sandringham, NorfolkFather: John Spencer, 8th Earl SpencerMother: Frances Burke RocheSpouse: Charles, Prince of Wales(1981-1996)sons: Prince William of Wales, Prince Henry of WalesDied On: 31-08-1997Place of death: Pont de l'Alma, Paris, FranceBurial Place: Althorp, NorthamptonshireTitles: Diana, Princess of Wales, HRH The Princess of Wales, The Lady Diana Spencer, The Hon Diana Spencer