[USML Announce] JHW Demonstrates How Best Defense Is Good Offense

Brad Jansen bljansen at gmail.com
Fri May 15 09:32:58 EDT 2009


My Dear Brother Jeffrey:
    I know none of your caustic remarks were aimed at me since I already
have made trades to enhance my team this year; two, in fact, and both with
you (and as unseemly as it is of you to trash the very players you traded
the Bombers to support your claim that his team can be beat, I must mention
that the likes of  Sonnanstine, DeRosa and Beltre have not exactly done
wonders for my place in the standings, but we can discuss that another day,
specifically when I negotiate the return of Brandon Wood as part of my dump
deal to you).
    But I must call you to task on your missive, in which you frankly
come off like Dick Cheney, grousing that he cannot now access memorandum
previously classified confidential by virtue of his own fiat.  Here you
chide owners for their reticence in making deals, but that reticence results
from your own actions, to wit, your trade to the Bombers that enabled them
to acquire such a huge lead. Now as you know, I am taking a
correspondence course in economics offered by Harvard, so I know a little
about irrational exuberance (i.e., your  love of Wieters) and the notion
that the market --and you know I very much am a free market man-- does not
always reflect rational thinking (i.e., your  love of Wieters).  So while
you may think it irrational that other owners are not spending or buying in
this current market, they very well may think that their actions are quite
rational.  In any event, the market will determine whether or when other
owners feel it appropriate to dip in and take a risk.  They do not
need another owner to serve as the USML's Timothy Geithner.
   As I review your missive, I think that perhaps your anger results from a
deep disdain of popular culture. You do not like, and you have never liked,
popular songs, least of all parodies of them. But, Jeffrey, popular culture
is the only culture I know.  Unlike yours, my family did not spend summers
in Cape Cod sailing with the Buckleys and drinking with the Cheevers.  We
did not spend our summer nights listening to classical music played on the
Atlantic shores. I was lucky if my dear departed father could afford a
single A battery for my transistor radio.  So if my parody of "Let It Be"
(Beatles, 1970) set you off, I apologize. But let me reach out to you and
offer you a hand of friendship, a hand that bridges our cultural divide, a
hand that heals.
  It's a long and winding road, my dear brother. Give us a chance to take
our sad teams and make them better.
Regards,
Brad Lee


On 5/14/09, jhwinick at aol.com <jhwinick at aol.com> wrote:
>
> The thought of concession, let alone to the Bombers, has always have been
> and always will be sacrilegious.  No song here, guys....just some facts to
> chew on.
>
> Sure, the Little Ripper's got a nice lead on the field.  But its May 14th
> for heaven's sake.  Not to pick at an old wound, but the Hoosier Daddies
> enjoyed a considerably more commanding lead well into August a few years ago
> and we all know who got the last "laffey" that year.  Heck, if no one among
> you is man enough to make a run at the Bombers, I'm half tempted to reverse
> engines a la the Big Rippers and come after him myself.
>
> Lets take a closer look, shall we?
>
> This is an offense that has only one superstar hitter in Kinsler.  The rest
> of the offense is built around guys like Garko, Aybar, Figgins, Rivera,
> Ordonez, Wells, Scott, Rolen, Kendrick.  Are you kidding me?  And there is a
> suggestion that everyone should just step aside and allow him to accede to
> the throne.  Just for kicks, take a look at the total number of DL days for
> Figgins, Rivera, Ordonez, Wells, Martinez, Scott and Rolen the last 3
> years.  'nuff said.
>
> I'll admit that the pitching looks good on the surface.  But look a little
> closer.  Galarraga's ERA is now up past 4.6.  Burnett's ERA has been
> climbing steadily and now exceeds 5.3 and he's on a Yankees team that looks
> like a disaster waiting to happen.  Bedard has been great but is already
> complaining about how his arm feels.  The King might finally be coming
> around, but with that pen behind him and that team (not) putting up runs for
> him, there won't be many wins.  I'll admit that Garza looks great.  In fact,
> he's looking like a nice keeper at 15.  But he'll not nearly enough to
> support a wire to wire victory.  Joba has been decidely ordinary (1.55
> WHIP) and looks like a guy that would be better off closing games than
> starting them.  Another pain in Mariano's elbow and the next thing you know,
> Mr. B finds himself even deeper in closers.  And speaking of
> closers....Morrow blows another one today (taking a win away from King Felix
> in the process), Francisco is ailing and Andrew Bailey is...well....Andrew
> Bailey.  And don't even get me started on the clown with the dead squirel
> hanging from his chin.
>
> The bottom line is that the Little Rippers haven't yet been pushed.  There
> hasn't been any of the consolidation of talent that has marked the last few
> years of our league's history.  If the Nukes really are throwing in the
> towel, there is enough talent on that team alone to push Buddha, the Big
> Ripper or the Calamari to a title.  And both the Hoosiers and the Red Hots
> still have plenty of talent to move around themselves.  If David Price nets
> King Felix and Matt Garza, what is Evan Longoria worth?  Hard to imagine,
> but I'm eager to find out.
>
> The year has only just begun.  As I see it, at the very minimum, the Little
> Rippers have a few more keepers that they should be compelled to move.  If
> the season ends with a Little Ripper title and the likes of Joba, Morrow,
> Francisco, Garza and Masterson still on their roster, we should all be
> ashamed of ourselves.
>
> Now get out there and make it interesting.  Otherwise, come June 1, I'll be
> entertaining offers for my beans
>
> That is all.
>
> TOeFuKi
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: springkerb at aol.com
> To: announce at usml.net
> Sent: Wed, 13 May 2009 8:28 pm
> Subject: Re: [USML Announce] "Just Concede".....With Apologies to Beatle
> Paul
>
> Great work, but I can remember when such thoughts were sacrilegious in the
> Berliner camp.
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Brad Jansen <bljansen at gmail.com>
> To: USML Announcements <announce at usml.net>
> Sent: Wed, 13 May 2009 4:30 pm
> Subject: [USML Announce] "Just Concede".....With Apologies to Beatle Paul
>
>  When I see my team fall in the standings, Brother Blocker comes to me
> Speaking words of wisdom, just concede
> And there with Jeff and Robbins, he is trading right in front of me
> Speaking words of wisdom, just concede
>
> Just concede, just concede, just concede, just concede
> Listen to Mark Blocker, just concede.
>
> And when the Bombers and Berliners finally and for once agree
> There will be Matt Wieters, just concede
> And though Price is just a prospect there's no doubt about his pedigree
> And what about that Bailey, just concede.
>
> Just concede, just concede....
>
> And now with third place fading, I must worry about the Calamari
> And who's trading for that Morrow, just concede
> When I've heard enough from Winick, Brother Blocker comes to me
> Speaking words of wisdom, just concede.
>
>
>
>
>
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