Mostly, people were all over Bud Selig for not instituting instant replay last year. Bud Selig is an easy guy to get mad at because he’s never apologized for anything he or baseball has ever done wrong. When MLB reviewed and denied the use of replay, Bud said he wanted the Human Element as part of baseball. I think you could get this pretty well from the baseball players because I’m pretty sure they’re all human no matter 
how many steroids they are taking. But Bud thought the umpires ought to be human too. The UmpBot stock I bought went right in the toilet when he said that.

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NPR ran a story a few days ago about Senate Secret Holds. I listened to the story because I thought it was about professional wrestling. I imagined John McCain climbing to the top of Joe Biden’s giant desk and leaping across the chamber to drop a double axe-handle on Charles Schumer. I think McCain is the toughest member of the Senate. He’s scrappy and I wouldn’t bet against him, even if it was all fixed.

As it turns out, a secret hold is a lot like a filibuster, except it keeps the motion from ever getting to the Senate floor. And it’s anonymous. A senator can go to his or her party leadership and say ask for a hold without ever being identified on the floor. Listening to the story, it felt a little bit like a man walking into a 7-11 and asking for all the cash in the register because there’s a man outside with his hand in his pocket claiming he has a gun.

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Maybe Senators are smarter than we give them credit for. We Americans are pretty easy to wait out. In the short time since I started writing this post, no one is talking about Armando Galarraga. We’ve moved on to Stephen Strausberg, NBA playoffs, who’s holding out of NFL OTAs and college conference realignment. The first 28 out perfect game seems like last season.

It will be two weeks on Wednesday.

National news isn’t that different. We are always interested in right now. It’s true. Watch any of the cable news channels for a day. There is no “news.” There’s only “breaking news.” And that doesn’t mean it’s the most important. Around 16000 kids die every day from hunger. Fox News wants to tell you about “Stars With Sex Tapes”. MSNBC says “Pickup sales perk up along with economy”.

Twitter is breaking news on steroids.

Nick Carr and others have asked if our technology is making us stupid. It isn’t, but only in the sense that guns don’t kill people. We are choosing to buy in—to believe that the stories on the news or in our twitter feeds are the stories. We are choosing to live contextualess lives that move from one outrage to the next.

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In his last two starts, Galarraga has only given up three runs. Detroit has won both games. He’s pitching lights out.

No word yet on if John McCain will add the Flying Elbow to his arsenal.

Breaking news as it happens.

In light of the un-perfect game, here are my suggestions for a Major League Baseball instant replay system.

Put a fifth ump in a room with a monitor and a phone or a walkie-talkie or something. He is the review ump. His ruling is final. He stays in that room while play is occurring so that on the field umpires don’t have to leave the field for review. His monitor gets the same type of feed that is currently used in home run reviews.

The on the field crew chief can call for a review at any time at his discretion. He has the other walkie-talkie.

Each manager has one challenge per game. They do not get any more, even if they are correct in their challenge. Challenges are made to the crew chief directly, not to the umpire who made the call or to the review umpire.

Balls and strikes cannot be reviewed. The strike zone is set exclusively by the home plate umpire based on the MLB rulebook.

Homeruns, catches and plays at the bases may be reviewed and overturned. Play will resume based on the result of the corrected call.

Foul balls which have landed in the infield are not reviewable. (This is actually the one I’ve had the hardest time with. I’m sure baseball people smarter than me could come up with a good solution.)

Foul balls which have landed in the outfield and upon review are found to be fair will result in a ground rule double.

Fair balls which upon review are found to be foul will be played as if they were foul.

A salary cap will be implemented^*.

*Ok, I’ll give on this one to get replay going. But I’ll never let this one go.

More likely they get a couple .240 hitters who put up 10 dingers while being injured for 1/2 of the season, and a closer who blows a couple fewer leads than Kyle Farnsworth would.

Kansas City has had tons of prospects. The ones that turn out we trade for more prospects. The ones that don’t perform (or get injured and “we’d like to see what they can do in a full season”) we keep. From 1996 to 2008, there has been at least one former Royal on the WS winner’s post season roster. Tom Gordon, Kyle Snyder, Jeff Suppan, Jermaine Dye, Johnny Damon, Jeff Conine, Jay Bell, David Cone (x3) and Chili Davis, Jeff Conine and Jim Eisenreich, and David Cone (again). The exception was 2002 (Tom Goodwin was on the Giants losing roster). 2009 is guarenteed to continue the trend, with former Royals on both the Yankees and the Phillies. The best former Royal not on that list is number 9 on the top 10 home runs as a Royal list. He did it in just five and a half seasons in blue. If he were still a Royal, he’d be pushing Brett for the top spot next season or the season after.

During that same time, the Royals have a winning percentage of .422.

If you go back to 1991, the year George Brett became a DH and the Royals started rebuilding, their winning percentage is .440. They’ve had just four winning seasons. How do you explain it? None of the players are still here. None of the coaches are still around. Even the owner is different. Good players come to Kansas City and either get hurt or vastly under-perform. Players with great promise fell apart (Bob Hamlin and Angel Berroa to name a couple Rookie of the Year winners). Only the Expos/Nationals have gone longer without a playoff appearance.

What gives?

Anglican Bishop N.T. Wright offers one possible explanation in “Evil and the Justice of God”: “There is a great deal to be said for the view that all corporate institutions have a kind of corporate soul, an identity which is greater than the sum of its parts, which can actually tell the parts what to do and how to do it. This leads to the view that in some cases at least, some of these corporate institutions can become so corrupted with evil that the language of ‘possession’ at a corporate level becomes the only way to explain the phenomena before us.” (Intervaristy Press, pg. 38-39)

I don’t think the Royals have a demon. But maybe Wright is on to something. It seems that no matter how the parts change, the same result occurs. It’s as if there is something overarching that moves this team toward mediocrity. The culture of under-performance, while not demonic, reaches back to the earliest part of the post-Brett era and seems to be embedded as deep as a soul would be. I still think a salary cap would help. But every other team in baseball save the Expos have had some measure of success greater than Kansas City. I’m not sure that I have much of an explanation left.

Anybody know a good priest?

Larry Johnson’s made his share of headlines this week. His agent, Peter Shaffer, has been in every one, not apologizing, but explaining away his client’s behavior. Yesterday, Shaffer told The Star on Monday that he advises Johnson and his other clients to be careful on Twitter. Kent Babb wrote: Schaffer said he preferred that his clients avoid social-networking sites, but the agent said he doesn’t force players to stop expressing themselves online.

But here’s the telling statement from Shaffer:

“They’re not making money on it. I don’t see (any benefit).”

Larry Johnson is surrounded by people telling him life is about getting paid. He is not a person, he is a corporation. Time is money, life is about money, so keep your head on straight so that you can get paid.

Humans are greedy, but LJ already knows money won’t buy him happiness. He’s got all the wealth a guy could want. But he’s not happy. Maybe winning would make him happy, but it was the offseason after going to the playoffs that caused Johnson the most trouble.

Larry Johnson could use some perspective. Don Miller would say he needs a better story. Wendell Berry would probably advise him to do something even more radical than the poem below, but I can’t help but think it’s the kind of life that LJ needs.

MANIFESTO: THE MAD FARMER LIBERATION FRONT
by Wendell Berry

Love the quick profit, the annual raise,
vacation with pay. Want more
of everything ready-made. Be afraid
to know your neighbors and to die.
And you will have a window in your head.
Not even your future will be a mystery
any more. Your mind will be punched in a card
and shut away in a little drawer.
When they want you to buy something
they will call you. When they want you
to die for profit they will let you know.

So, friends, every day do something
that won’t compute. Love the Lord.
Love the world. Work for nothing.
Take all that you have and be poor.
Love someone who does not deserve it.
Denounce the government and embrace
the flag. Hope to live in that free
republic for which it stands.
Give your approval to all you cannot
understand. Praise ignorance, for what man
has not encountered he has not destroyed.
 
Ask the questions that have no answers.
Invest in the millenium. Plant sequoias.
Say that your main crop is the forest
that you did not plant,
that you will not live to harvest.
Say that the leaves are harvested
when they have rotted into the mold.
Call that profit. Prophesy such returns.

Put your faith in the two inches of humus
that will build under the trees
every thousand years.
Listen to carrion – put your ear
close, and hear the faint chattering
of the songs that are to come.
Expect the end of the world. Laugh.
Laughter is immeasurable. Be joyful
though you have considered all the facts.
So long as women do not go cheap
for power, please women more than men.
Ask yourself: Will this satisfy
a woman satisfied to bear a child?
Will this disturb the sleep
of a woman near to giving birth?
 
Go with your love to the fields.
Lie down in the shade. Rest your head
in her lap. Swear allegiance
to what is nighest your thoughts.
As soon as the generals and the politicos
can predict the motions of your mind,
lose it. Leave it as a sign
to mark the false trail, the way
you didn’t go. Be like the fox
who makes more tracks than necessary,
some in the wrong direction.
Practice resurrection.

Greeny nailed the take. Players need to remember who they are playing for. But more impressive than the vein popping out of Greeny’s neck was the way he conducted himself after the rant.

He was embaressed.

He tried to downplay it.

Even though everyone was lauding him for ‘manning up’, he wanted to move on.

Why? With everyone cheering, why not run with it? I can’t say for sure, but here’s my hunch:

Mike Greenberg doesn’t want to be That Guy.

That Guy comes to the mic each day with a stack of things to yell about. He sits in front of the camera, looks you in the eye, and tells you who to blame. He sits atop the highest horse in the land throwing the rest of us morsels of anger to feed on until tomorrow when we all tune in again.

That Guy goes into each day looking for a fight.

Mike Greenberg isn’t That Guy.

Talk radio is full of That Guy. Talk radio, be it sports or politics or religion, is defined by the rant. “This is what’s wrong with your team, or your world, or your worldview, or just plain you.” It defines our debates on issues.

Greeny’s rant worked because it wasn’t cooked up. It was authentic. He didn’t go into the production meeting and ask, “What can I explode about today?” It was something he was personally passionate about and it interfered with his professionalism. In small doses, it’s exactly what the world needs.

Give me less of That Guy and more of Mike Greenberg.

Keeping two tight ends on your roster is like keeping two old beat up trucks. One of them has a really good purpose. The other is just taking up space. Use the bench spot for depth at WR or RB. You need the depth there. Depth at TE is pointless.

Don’t sweat the bye-week. Even if you draft the first and fifth best tight ends, whoever you would pick up for the bye week will fill in for number one almost as well as number five. In 2008, there was a 2.5 point per week difference between the fifth best TE and the twentieth best TE.

Which is to say, after the top tier guys a TE is a TE is a TE.

According to the average draft position, while other guys are taking Chris Cooley in round 8, you could get Jamal Lewis or Julius Jones or Torry Holt or Devin Hester. All of those guys are first on their depth chart and will produce significant points this year. You could wait three more rounds and get Zach Miller, Dustin Keller or Visanthe Shiancoe. And when the bye-week comes around, grab Brandon Pettigrew or Bo Scaife or Vernon Davis to fill in.

If you insist on carrying two TEs, be sure to bring your trapper keeper and English textbook to the draft. Mr. Shaw hates it when you forget your books.

Tags: FantasyFootball, DraftStrategy, TE, backups, trapperkeeper

On top of that, I think Favre is getting a bad rap in the media. And people are buying it hook, line and sinker. So to you, the reasonable, non-gun-toting fan, I make the following defense of Brett Favre.

1. You gotta have something to talk about. My major criticism of mainstream media outlets has been their need to create stories out of non-stories in order to sell advertising. Outrage = ratings. No one wants to hear two moderates debate. They want theater. Jon Stewart was right about Crossfire. It applies to the sports talk shows just as well. It doesn’t pay to act moderately. That’s where the 2006 hype came from…

2. The Packers wanted to go with Aaron Rodgers. After two horrible seasons in 2005 and 2006, there was speculation that Favre would retire. But he announced before the 2006 draft that he’d return for another season and maybe more. What followed was a 13-3 season that Favre’s Packers had only achieved in the two years that they reached the Super Bowl. In the NFC Championship Favre was one bad pass from playing the Patriots for the Lombardi Trophy. During his retirement press conference he claimed that he didn’t want to play any more. Obviously, that wasn’t the case. The Packers needed him out to find out what they had in Aaron Rodgers. In the final year of his contract, Rodgers might walk after the season. Favre might have too. Then they’d have no QBs and a pretty decent team. Which is to say, they’d have been Minnesota without AP.

It’s understandable, but who pushes out a QB that’s coming off one of his best years ever and almost took you to the Super Bowl that season? Not to mention he’s arguably the best to ever play the game and gave you your only championship in forty years? If someone’s missing class from this, it’s the Packers.

3. Take out the shoulder injury and 2008 was among his best seasons. Favre injured his shoulder late in the season affected his last 5 games. Removing the stats from those games, his QB rating was 94, fifth best in his 18 seasons. During the first 11 games the Jets were 8-3. Save the injury, the Jets make the playoffs. That’s with missing off season workouts, not knowing the system, and not getting along with his coach. 2009 is a completely different situation.

4. Players have always tried to get out of training camp. After 18 seasons, can you blame a guy for wanting to miss camp? The drills, the scrimmages, the fights, the dorms, all through two-a-days? NFL players love getting out of camp. Some players have declared their intention to retire while never filing papers just so that they can skip camp. And when a team needs them bad enough, they put up with it. Favre’s just gotten the lead on SportsCenter for doing it instead of a small story buried in the middle of the show. Blame ESPN for camping out in Mississippi 24/7, not Favre.

5. The Vikings need Favre and vice-versa. Both want a real shot this year. Rosenfels and Jackson weren’t going pose any threat to opposing defenses. With Favre under center, defenses will have to play back and leave just seven in the box, loosening up the running lanes. Peterson is going to have room to run. Lots and lots of room. If you’re playing fantasy, do whatever you can to get Peterson and handcuff him with Taylor. Hands down best player in fantasy this year baring injury. And with one of the best defensive units in the league, this Vikings team is going to go far.

6. If anything, Favre is too much like you and me. A lot of folks hate their jobs. Some of us are lucky enough to like what we do. If we’re really blessed, we love our career. But image doing what you love to do most in the world and being paid millions of dollars to do it. I don’t know about you, but nobody could rip me away from that while I still had the ability to do it. That’s what brought Favre back in 2008. And this year he could win a championship doing it. That’s why he’s on the practice field in Minnesota. You can’t blame Favre for wanting that because you would want it too.

In 2002, the Oakland A’s spent $40 million on player salaries. The New York Yankees spent about three times that amount and three and a half times as much as the lowest team that year. Baseball has a luxury tax, but it does little to keep teams like the Yankees, Red Sox and Angels from spending amounts that small market clubs could never dream of while still making a profit. (On a side note, the problem continues: The Yankees spent nearly 10 times more than the Florida Marlins in 2008.)

Moneyball tells the story of A’s attempt to win inspite of the inequity of team salaries. Through the research of a night security guard in Kansas, A’s GM Billy Beane focused on different success indicators. This lead Beane to draft and sign players that no one else wanted and trade players other teams valued that he didn’t. Beane and the A’s executives weren’t asking if a .300 batting average was still a good batting average. They were asking if batting average was as good an indicator of success as other statistics. Are walks valued enough? Is a player who makes a diving catch a better fielder than the one reads the ball better off the bat? Do RBIs matter at all? Are closes over-valued? How can we exploit all of this?

For the baseball fan, Moneyball is a fascinating read about how to win games in the modern era. Moneyball isn’t about redefining success. This book is about reevaluating the way you achieve success. Baseball fan though I am, I took a lot more away from the book than the importance of OBP. It got me asking questions about achievement indicators in business (and ministry). What things point toward a successful employee? Are policies based on this? Do we hire based on this? Do we compensate based on this? Do we discipline based on this? Do we fire based on this?

All the questions this can bring up for you boil down to two things. In my context:

1. What conventional wisdom is actually folly?
What thing is traditionally valued in my context that has no bearing on my success or failure? What measure am I using that doesn’t really accurately reflect how well I’m doing?

2. Knowing this, how can I use it to my advantage?
What should I be valuing instead? How can I change what I measure?

I’ll leave an idea or two in the comments. Please add yours.