Nationals send former Suns to Chicago

I usually don't write about teams trades that I don't cover,but today's swap between the Chicago White Sox and Washington Nationals badly needed to be a topic for discussion.

Not just because there were two former Hagerstown Suns players involved in the deal either,but to discuss the apparent all in attitude by the Washington Nationals,a team that you always have to give credit for at least trying to improve a franchise that to this point has failed to win in the postseason.

The Nationals sent arguably their three pitching prospects and at minimum three of their top four (Depends on where you rank Erick Fedde) to the Chicago White Sox for outfielder Adam Eaton.
Former Hagerstown Suns Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez are headed to Chicago along with the Nationals top draft pick from last season in Dane Dunning as the White Sox add those three players to the haul led by Yoan Moncada in the Chris Sale trade earlier in the winter meetings in an attempt to bolster one of the weaker farm systems in the game.

For the White Sox,it makes a ton of sense to move some valuable players from a team that went just 78-84 with those assets.
Chicago may not be done if they desire,as they still have players of value that they could receive even more prospects for in pitcher Jose Quintana and especially infield power bats Jose Abreu and Todd Frazier,should they desire to do so.
Giolito is the big name of the three,but I've always preferred Reynaldo Lopez of the two.
On the radar gun,the two are pretty similar,but Giolito's fastball has always been straight with little movement even in his Hagerstown days and no matter the speed,when you fire straight fastballs against major league hitting,they tend to disappear as seven of them flew over the fence in just 21 big league innings last season.
I like Lopez's stuff and movement,my main worry about him is his slight frame.
Pitchers with similar size as Lopez tend to flash brightly and flame out quickly,so there is somewhat of a risk over the long term.
I didn't get to see Dane Dunning,who was Washington's first round pick out of the University of Florida last season.
Dunning was expected to start the season in Hagerstown before the trade and perhaps with a fortunate assignment (the White Sox have teams in the SAL and Carolina leagues) I could still see him pitch.

For Washington,who had been rumored to be talking to Pittsburgh for Andrew McCutchen to patrol center field,this comes as a surprise.
Adam Eaton hit .284/14/59 and those numbers have been consistently in that range over the last three years with the power picking up over the last two seasons.
Eaton brings some speed and intangibles to Washington as he is a high intensity player that Nationals fans should quickly love.
At 28,Eaton should be in his prime years and is under contract for five years (three years and two club options),so that could play into the exorbitant price paid for him.
Eaton is also a good defensive right fielder,but is not as solid in center,which is where he will play as a National.
Bryce Harper isn't moving from right,so plugging Eaton into center means that Trea Turner can be moved to shortstop,where his bat will play even more than center.

In my opinion,this smacks of a panic move.
The Nationals see the window closing with several of their bats possibly moving on over the next two or three seasons and having dealt many of their top prospects (they have held onto Victor Robles and Juan Soto) in trades,the Nationals are in win now mode.
I understand that and give them credit for continuing to tinker with the lineup in an attempt to put them over the top,but this is such an oppressive cost for a player that is good but not great.
Desperation can make teams do things that they normally would not and I feel some desperation on the Nationals part.
Had the Pirates received those three players for Andrew McCutchen,I would have rated it an excellent deal for the Pirates,but to add those three pitchers for Adam Eaton,I would score that as a win for the White Sox.
Prospects are far from a guarantee and they arrive with plenty of risk,but the more you get-the better your chances of success.
Adam Eaton may be a productive player in Washington,but the White Sox made the better deal-even with risk....

Cleaning out the inbox-Passings

We start with another passing as former Jets and Chiefs running back Joe McKnight was shot and killed in his hometown of New Orleans.
The 28 year old McKnight was killed in a road rage incident that saw him unarmed against a gun-toting assailant.
McKnight was a premiere running back at USC and I really thought he was underrated in being selected in the fourth round by the Jets in 2010.
McKnight spent three years as a Jet before being released and picked up by Kansas City,where he scored two touchdowns in two games before tearing his Achilles tendon.
McKnight played this season in Canada in an attempt for a comeback and split the year between Saskatchewan and Edmonton.

Two more athletic passings-both in Colorado and far too young.
Former Colorado Avalanche winger Marek Svatos died of a drug overdose at the age of 34.
Svatos  scored 32 goals as a rookie with the Avalanche and 87 over his first four years before a steep decline that saw him score just ten goals over the remainder of his career.
Svatos dealt with several injuries in the NHL and in Europe and perhaps that the entryway to drug abuse started with these injuries?

1994 Heisman Trophy winner Rashaan Salaam was found in a park in Boulder,having committed suicide at the age of 42.
Salaam won the trophy in Boulder as a member of the Colorado Buffaloes with a season that saw him rush for over two thousand yards and 24 touchdowns before being the first round pick in 1995 by the Chicago Bears.
Salaam became the youngest player to rush for over 1,000 yards in the NFL in his rookie season in Chicago,but various issues (Injury,Marijuana and Fumbling) kept Salaam from rushing for even half of his previous total over the next two seasons.
Salaam would play two games for the expansion Browns and spent time attempting to come back in the XFL with the Memphis Maniax and the CFL with the Toronto Argonauts before ending his career in 2004 in the Argonaut training camp.

We wrap up with the passing of Margaret Whitton from cancer at the age of 67.
Whitton was best remembered for her classic portrayal of "Rachel Phelps" in the Major League films.
I don't how many times with various people that fans of the movie have done "This guy's dead" followed by the Whitton deadpan reply "Cross him off then!".
Whitton also had roles in "Secret of my Success" a Michael J.Fox vehicle and the underrated Robin Williams/Kurt Russell film "Best of Times"...

Giants sign Mark Melancon

The first shot at the Winter Meetings was fired as the San Francisco Giants addressed the biggest need on their pitching staff as they signed Mark Melancon to a four year contract worth 62 million.
Melancon split last season between Pittsburgh and Washington and notched 47 saves to go with an ERA of 1.64 in the two stops.
Melancon will turn 32 before the start of the 2017 season,so this deal will run into his late 30's.

The Giants filled their number one need on the pitching staff and arguably their top need overall in slotting Melancon in as the closer over the next four years .
I mean,when you blow 30 save situations in the course of a season and two ninth inning leads in the playoffs,it does not require being a Mensa member to figure that one out!

Let's start with the bad news and what I don't like in the deal..
Melancon is expensive-15.5 million dollars isn't cheap and I've stated in the past that I am not always crazy about huge contract to relievers,especially those that end in the pitchers mid to late 30's.
I always worry about how often relievers bounce from good seasons to poor ones and then back again.
Melancon has been a consistent pitcher throughout his career other than an awful 2012 with Boston,so I'm not too worried about that fluctuation with him,but there is a little nagging worry that there could be at least a blip over four years and one could argue that he is due.
Melancon also isn't as visually impressive pitcher to watch as an Aroldis Chapman or Kenley Jansen (hang in there,I'll spin this in the other direction below),so he won't be blowing anyone away.
That's a minor quibble,but sometimes just a small change in velocity could make a huge difference in effectiveness...

Now,the positive-Mark Melancon has been a pitcher that relies on his curve and cutter and by not being a high gas thrower,might have the type of toolbox that allows him to age a little better than Chapman or Jansen might.
Melancon is the safest pick of the three because of that reason and another one that seems simplistic-he throws strikes.
Melancon consistently notches low walk rates and doesn't hit the odd batter either.
Add to that,Melancon is tough to run on and allows few stolen bases,which is a factor that we (me included) often overlook with closers as many times when you come into a game,you have runners on base and quite often pinch runners,which let's face it usually aren't slow.
Melancon has also been consistent-as noted above,other than in 2012,Mark Melancon has posted consistently stellar stats and even at his age,doesn't appear to be slowing down.
I've always liked Melancon,I remember quite a few conversations with my former boss Emily (I really liked her,she left me alone!) about him and I think this is a good decision for the Giants on the overall.

In closing,I'll say this-Entering the off-season,I think the Giants needed a closer and a power bat.
I preferred Kenley Jansen as my top choice as a closer.
Aroldis Chapman for as good as he is,can occasionally have these nights that he has no idea where the ball is going and I'm never thrilled when teams that I root for sign guys that have been in legal trouble and especially for something as important as domestic abuse,so I wasn't on the Chapman train.
However,I think Giants fans can rest easy-Mark Melancon was signed early and even at his cost,might have been a steal.
Locking him up this early in the free agent period might have saved a lot of money that can be helpful in landing that badly needed stick for the lineup.
It'll be interesting to see just how much Jansen and Chapman sign for and gauge that against the contract of Melancon..
Now,lets see about that bat and I wonder about the plans of a certain Tribe in Cleveland....

Gassiev outpoints Lebedev,Saunders wins-Boxing Challenge

The Boxing Challenge rolled on through Europe as all four fights from the challenge were overseas.
Ramon Malpica and I each added three points for the weekend to bring the total to 136-112.

Murat Gassiev won the IBF cruiserweight title with a split decision win over WBA/IBF champ Denis Lebedev in Moscow.
No,that's not a typo,Lebedev applied for a waiver with the WBA to not put that belt on the line,which the WBA ridiculously granted despite Gassiev being ranked by the organization and the fight being at the division weight.
I'm a fan of titles,but this was just idiotic as Lebedev keeps his title despite the loss.
The fight was a good and close one that I scored 115-112 for Gassiev.
Gassiev dropped Lebedev with a body shot in the fifth round and was the harder puncher to offset the busier Lebedev.
Ramon and I each added one point for the Gassiev win.

However,the knockout of the weekend came on the same card in Moscow.
I sometimes criticize sanctioning bodies for rating fighters from countries where their true mettle is not tested until they hit the big time,but occasionally you can hit oil.
This strike came with Julius Indongo,who had never fought outside of Namibia (which will never be confused with even a middling boxing country) knocked Eduard Troyanovsky silly in less than a minute with a right hand that won Indongo the IBF junior welterweight title.
I'm not sure if Indongo is a star in the making (I had never even heard of Indongo before signing for the fight) or a one punch wonder like Bredis Prescott was when he starched Amir Khan,but what a shot!!!



I haven't watched Billy Joe Saunders and his unanimous decision win to retain his WBO middleweight title over Artur Akakov yet,but it's been reported to be a very close fight against an opponent with less than strong credentials.
Saunders defeated Andy Lee for the title a year ago and this was his first defense and wobbled past against a hand-picked opponent.
Saunders seems to have little interest in fighting top notch foes,although he is quite active in talking about fighting them,as he has turned down huge paydays to fight Gennady Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez.
The WBO needs to look into this and have Saunders fight someone soon.
Ramon and each added two points for the win.

Editor's Note: I have now watched the fight and scored Saunders a 115-112 winner.

In Moscow,I haven't seen this fight as of now either,but Denis Shafikov shaded Richard Commey via split decision to earn Shafikov a title fight at lightweight against IBF champion Robert Easter,who had won the vacant belt in his last fight via split decision over Commey.
Ramon and I each picked Commey for no points...

Boxing Challenge

The boxing challenge gets a weekend with nice matchups with none of them on American TV.
Three title fights or title eliminators from Russia is paced by a fight that I am very excited to see as WBA and IBF Cruiserweight champ Denis Lebedev defends against top contender Murat Gassiev.
This should be a great fight and I hope to see it on YouTube!!

WBO Middleweight champ Billy Jo Saunders returns to action for his first title defense since winning it from Andy Lee a year ago vs Artur Akavov in Scotland.
I've never seen Akakov,but it says a lot considering Saunders aversion to top competition,I'm not expecting much.

WBA/IBF Cruiserweight titles.12 rds
Denis Lebedev vs Murat Gassiev
R.L;Gassiev Unanimous Decision
TRS:Gassiev KO 10

IBF Jr.Welterweight title.12 rds
Eduardo Troyanovsky vs Julius Indongo
R.L;Troyanovsky Unanimous Decision
TRS:Troyanvsky KO 7

Lightweights.12 rds
Richard Commey vs Denis Shafikov
Both:Commey Unanimous Decision

WBO Middleweight title.12 rds
Billy Jo Saunders vs Artur Akavov
Both:Saunders Unanimous Decision

The challenge stands at 133-109

Pigskin Picking Machine

Another early week for the PPM with conference title games kicking off early..

Last week:8-2
Overall: 85-30

College Title Games

MAC
Western Michigan 35 Ohio U. 20

Pac 12
Washington 30 Colorado 20

Conference USA
Western Kentucky 45 Louisiana Tech 38

American
Navy 36 Temple 24

SEC
Alabama 35 Florida 15

Mountain West
San Diego State 40 Wyoming 36

ACC
Clemson 29 Virginia Tech 14

Big Ten
Wisconsin 28 Penn State 17

Pro
Saints over Lions 35-31

Game of the Week
Chiefs over Falcons 28-24

Rotten Game of the Week
Bears over 49ers 16-13

Cleaning out the inbox

The inbox cleaning begins with three passings of note from the entertainment and sports worlds.

Florence Henderson passed at the age of 82.
Henderson,who along with Shirley Jones,was the mother of the nation's children in the 70's from her iconic role as Carol Brady on "the Brady Bunch" was known for being a Broadway star and comedian before landing the role for Carol Brady,which brought her lasting fame,if not a bit of typecasting.
Henderson was also known to people my age after the Brady Bunch with her long time association with Wesson Oil.
I mean those commercials were around for years and often featured Henderson singing the "Wessonality" jingle and floating around the kitchen.
Henderson never really left the spotlight in the 40+ years after the Brady Bunch's cancellation,as she was involved with every reincarnation of the show as well as more stage work,guest appearances on television and lots of game shows spot when game shows still ruled morning television.
I'm not sure anyone under 60 wasn't a little sad upon hearing of the loss of Florence Henderson.



The other entertainment loss was actor Ron Glass at the age of 71.
Glass was best known for his role of Harris on the 70's sitcom "Barney Miller",but gained cult fame over the last decade for the role of Shepherd Book on the cult sci-fi drama "Firefly".
I wasn't a massive Barney Miller fan,although in the three channel days,I watched my share of it,but I did enjoy the brief run of Firefly and its movie sequel Serenity.
Glass acted in various tv shows that didn't really catch on such as an 1980's version of the Odd Couple with Demond Wilson of Sanford and Son...

The sports loss was Ralph Branca at the age of 90.
Branca won 21 games in 1947 for the Brooklyn Dodgers,but was better known for allowing "the shot heard round the world" home run to Bobby Thomson in 1951.
Branca never was the same pitcher after the home run as he would win just 20 games over the next (and final) five years of his career after a back injury the following spring..
Branca came off bitter and angry in my opinion on the HBO documentary on the 1951 pennant race between the Giants and Dodgers with an insistence that Thomson knew the pitch that was coming via a stolen sign in the famous game,but watching the program it was pretty easy to see that Branca and Thomson had become friends over the years and seemed to enjoy being linked together in baseball history...

The New York Times writes about the huge James Webb Telescope that will be launched in 2018 to see even further out into space than the Hubble telescope.
The Hubble was expected to be out of use by the time of the Webb's entry into space,but it looks like the two will be in service for at least a few years together.
The Webb's rotation will be around a million miles away from Earth and with its infrared equipment will be able to see things that even the Hubble would be unable to see.

Some of you that listen to the podcast might remember when we had Ricky Cobb of the Super 70's Sports show on the podcast.
Ricky gets some great guys and he recently landed my favorite ABA player of all time in Dan Issel to do his show.
It's a great hour and basketball fans of all ages should enjoy it.
I wrote a post on Issel back in 2008 as a member of our Forgotten Superstars universe and it can be found here.

SABR always has great articles from contributors that offer biographies of players that are forgotten by the regular fan.
This one was just listed on the site features 1970's righthander Lynn McGlothen,who would die in a fire in 1984.
McGlothen was an erratic pitcher that was once compared to Bob Gibson.
McGlothen never approached the level of Gibson,but did have his good days with an All-Star game appearance.
My favorite memory of McGlothen comes from his 1977 Topps baseball card as he is wearing the 1976 Bicentennial hat of the St.Louis Cardinals.
A few teams wore the "Cake Pan" hats in the 1976 season (The Pirates continued to wear theirs for years after) and the 1977 cards are the only cards to features those hats for teams other than the Pirates..