Any chance we can rename the award to incorporate the names of Peter Dunn and Albert Wood? Their work on chemically achieving rigidity seems rather appropriate for someone (Baker) who’s so clearly overcompensating…

As an Angels fan, we just assumed Bavasi ran our team into the ground.

Why has the infamous Mike Lupica name not come up yet?  Not only can he tell everyone in baseball what to do, but also politics.  Or does he merely qualify for pomposity award?

Nope. Click through to that BTF thread I link on the bottom and you can see me learn about it in real time (after post #30).

@ Moose - No kidding!  I read it as a new release when I was in college in the 70’s.  My best friend’s sister worked for Irving’s publisher, and I got a complete set of his stuff, but nothing ever compared to the original Garp… I think I reread it no less than a dozen times!  If only I had paid that much attention to my text books…...

Also-

I never envisioned Robin Williams or John Lithgow in the roles they had, but Glenn Close was PERFECT!

And how come Rick Telander can get a free pass on the “kicking open of the steroid allegations door by the MSM”?

“http://www.suntimes.com/sports/telander/1575381,CST-SPT-rick15.article”

Where was Baker and Rosensquirrel eviscerating Rick?  Oh, he’s part of the MSM, he must have taken Baker’s class and gotten an A.  Riiiight

Jason—I read your post and Telander’s piece you linked and ALMOST made it its own award, but after reading it a couple of times I thought it verged close enough to parody to let him off the hook.  I mean, it’s possible he was truly accusing Theriot, but I got the sense that he was just using it as a device to find a way into the Manny stuff.  Good writing? Nah, but not serious enough to where I felt that was truly making an accusation.

That’s cool, CC.  I thought it was pretty blatant, even if he was joking or making light.  I didn’t think that was any worse than what Mr. Morris got skewered for.

For those who haven’t read Telander’s comments a few weeks back:

“To wit, Theriot—no disrespect, but if he’s 5-11, I’m 6-12—hit two home runs Wednesday night at Wrigley Field against the Padres, giving him five times more home runs in 33 games this year than he hit all last season.

That rings the steroid/HGH/ whatever-designer-drug-is-in bell, doesn’t it?”

So if I (or Mr. Morris) just prefaced our blog postings on Ibanez by stating “no disrespect”, it would have been OK?  Eh, Rosensquirrel?  Baker?

@Richard - Nothing quite as comforting as a disaster proofed house.

@MKD - you nailed it.  That team went from excellent to geriatric overnight.  They hit their wall and were never going to replicate their magical run.

In hindsight, they hung on too long.  They needed a midseason out of contention veteran dumping, sending 1 veteran away to a contender for 2-3 good prospects.  As history showed, the M’s kept making silly and overpriced signings (Sexson, Beltre, Washburn, Bautista, Silva, Johjima, etc).  Even with steroids, these signings would have been a disaster (factoring in likely ACL, MCL, & Oblique injuries along with the post-big-contract malaise which happened to nearly every one of these guys).

Juice or no juice, hanging onto the popular core too long for sentimental value then throwing star money at re-treads was the culprit to the M’s demise.  Steroids would have only resulted in 620 at bats for Willy Bloomquist at 1B, and still 90+ losses.