Andrew,
Who gets a job first: Joe Crede or Jay Mariotti?
– Chris, Beloit, WI
Chris –
Crede has a bad back, a shady agent and a history of feast-or-famine offensive output. He made a very awkward exit from the South Side and left a lot of people hurt, confused or just plain mad. On the other hand, Mariotti is a reviled figure in a highly reviled, rapidly-dying industry. Smart money bets Crede.
Andrew,
You seem to believe the Sox are in salary dump mode, but you’re overlooking two things. One, Swisher flat-out sucked. Two, so did the Most Interesting Pitcher in Baseball. Are we really any worse off with those two out the door? I think not.
– Thomas, Chicago, IL
Thomas –
I agree the two are solid candidates for the addition-by-subtraction model, but I don’t buy that the Sox aren’t using the youth excuse as a reason to save some cash and stay in the black despite a theoretically lean upcoming year for Major League Baseball. The newly-signed Dayan Viciedo, for one, makes exactly the same salary Swisher did; were the team strictly going young and cheap, the Swisher money wouldn’t have become the Viciedo money. So with Vazquez off to Atlanta, are the Sox going to turn around and spend that $12 million on another pitcher? Or, for that matter, on anyone? They can spin it however they like, but an intentionally reduced payroll is still an intentionally reduced payroll.
Reilly –
What was the fight Jack McDowell got in with the Blue Jays? I want to say he hit Paul Molitor with a pitch and that cleared the benches, but am not sure.
– Jeff, Park Ridge, IL
May 19, 1991. After surrendering a home run to John Olerud, McDowell threw one behind Jays RF Mark Whiten. Whiten charged the mound and punched McDowell in the left eye. Both were ejected from the game and Whiten was replaced by journeyman outfielder Kenny Williams. Yes, that Kenny Williams.
Andrew –
Who’s your team in Ken Griffey Jr.’s Winning Run? I tend to go with the Yankees for their pitching, but obviously the Mariners are stacked as well. Your thoughts?
– Z., Boulder, CO
I play the Indians. Jimmy Stealth, Frank Liberty and Bill Stevens (Kenny Lofton, Albert Belle and Jim Thome, respectively) are all in the running for MVP right now, and Liberty/Belle is threatening to win the Triple Crown. In real life, 1996 was another letdown of a year for the Cleveland Indians; as long as that video game continues to be played, that awful year for the Tribe never has to end.
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