Honor Among Thieves

[DOUGHBOYS]

I'll get many calls a day from NFBC players and baseball enthusiast who want to talk about the game.
I can talk baseball. Oh, I can talk baseball.
Anyway, I get a call from an NFBC player this morning. And I have to share it with you.
I will leave his name and the other fellow mentioned in this story out of this column to save any sort of embarrassment.

Just a short background on the fellas mentioned...
They are good friends. Both have been in the NFBC, well beyond rookie status. They have even partnered up for live events in Las Vegas.
On the other side of things, they also play against each other in some lesser leagues.

Anyway, last night, Player A gets a phone call from Player B before the FAAB process deadline.
They discuss the players they are going to go after in teams they are partnered in and get that all squared away.
Player A then starts talking about Chad Kuhl.
Player B seems uninterested.
Player A begins explaining why he likes Chad Kuhl.
He speaks about Kuhl having a 2-start week.
How it is that one is at home, the other in a pitchers park of Miami.
He talks about Kuhl's 2.60 ERA and 1.15 WHIP.
Still, not much interest from his partner.

The conversation moved to other topics.
Their bids are set and they wait for the results.
Player A is happy with the results as he sees the bids. He has reeled in most of the players wanted.
Then, takes a long look at the last league viewed.
He has been beaten in his bid for Chad Kuhl.
He sees that his second place bid in the $20 range has been beaten by one in the $40 dollar range.
The Winning bidder?
HIS PARTNER!
PLAYER B!

His partner's bid went from 0 to 40 dollars in minutes!
It seems Player B got bad news about Shelby Miller five minutes before the deadline.
And which pitcher is fresh on his mind?
Chad Kuhl, of course!
Too funny.

After the deadline, Player B calls Player A.
They go over the free agents obtained and how to use them in lineups for the coming week.
Chad Kuhl?
Never mentioned.
Player A hangs up the phone and just shakes his head.
Whatever happened to honor among thieves?

[Quahogs]

Not Kuhl man, not Kuhl...

[KJ Duke]

Not Kuhl man, not Kuhl...

PITCHERS ...IP .... H ... ER ... BB ... K
C. Kuhl ..... 1.0 ... 3 .... 4 .... 2 .... 1

Kuhl 1st inning.

[DOUGHBOYS]

And Kuhl Karma....

[King of Queens]

Well that was fun...

[KJ Duke]

And Kuhl Karma....

And a 2nd serving better than the 1st.

PITCHERS ...IP .... H ... ER ... BB ... K
C. Kuhl ..... 1.2 ... 8 .... 9 .... 4 .... 1

[knuckleheads]

And Kuhl Karma....

Dan, do you happen to know if the same owner put in a bid on Amir Garrett?

That business of sending out a rookie, who had given up 8 runs in 3 innings, to attempt a fourth inning (and give up 3 more runs) seems like karmic retribution.

[knuckleheads]

Bryan Price is an idiot.

[DOUGHBOYS]

Major failure on Price's part.
Even baseball fans with no fantasy skin in the game had to cringe when Garrett came back out for the fourth inning.
A young pitcher with a good arm needs a special approach. If that means having Adam Duvall throw the eighth or ninth inning of a game, so be it.
Price is one of these Managers that over worries about taxing his bullpen.
I don't know why, he certainly had a lot of practice with that last year.
It's one of the reasons he likes everybody in the pen capable of throwing a couple of innings.
He put that obsession over the possibility of breaking Amir Garrett. It was Dustyian

Edit- Speaking of Dusty, what he did with Treinen last night in a winable game, was over and beyond. Even for Baker.

[headhunters]

dan- i know it is way too soon- but any phones calls on jason heyward?

[DOUGHBOYS]

dan- i know it is way too soon- but any phones calls on jason heyward?

Not yet, Mike.
I can honestly say he has not been brought up since the season started.
Probably for good reason.
The naysayers don't want to say anything because he's been better than last year.
Heyward followers don't want to jinx or speak too early about early accomplishments.
Are you buying, Mike?

[headhunters]

the only draft i took heyward in was the premature. you and i then had a spirited discussion on him. i guess i just felt after round 15 heyward seemed like an ok pick. 15-15 150 rbi and runs have a fairly positive value- if the guy doesn't hit .200. of course i have about 70 points in that league.

[DOUGHBOYS]

the only draft i took heyward in was the premature. you and i then had a spirited discussion on him. i guess i just felt after round 15 heyward seemed like an ok pick. 15-15 150 rbi and runs have a fairly positive value- if the guy doesn't hit .200. of course i have about 70 points in that league.

Yep, remember it well.
I said I wouldn't take Heyward unless he changed the gawdawful swing.
I have to give him credit, he did work on it.

[DOUGHBOYS]

We should start a 'For Real' list and a 'For Not Real' List

For me it is

Real-

Mitch Haniger (I know he's hurt, but still feel he's the real deal)
Steve Souza Jr.
Chris Owings
Lance Lynn
Eric Thames
Joey Gallo

Not Real-

Wade Miley
Miguel Gonzalez
Jett Bandy
Ryan Zimmerman

Just want to add something totally unrelated.
Remember the top three catchers taken?
Posey, Sanchez, and Lucroy.
Each of those fellas has one home run.
Sanchez has an excuse. Posey and Lucroy do not.
Talking about Posey, in particular, he is becoming a bit like Joe Mauer.
His power numbers have gone from 22 to 19 to 14 playing in a park where power is earned.
.288/82/14/80 are not great numbers.
For catchers, they are really good numbers. For other positions, they are blah numbers.
I believe this is the last year for Posey to reign as the Catcher with the highest adp.
I believe that drafters will be drawn in by more power than by Posey's batting average.

[headhunters]

i admit- i know none of the back round on this- but....... why is lucroy sitting? i know he isn't hitting- but he has always hit. you just shouldn't bench him on a week of bad hitting. the worst part is- he isn't signed. he probably still has the partial no trade. if he isn't hurt- they are probably pissing him off- not smart. some teams win in spite of themselves- to some extent the rangers are in this group.

[DOUGHBOYS]

A friend of mine thinks that the WBC screwed with a lot of players.
He surmises that participants of the WBC are taking longer to regain their 'fire'.
I don't know if he's right or is just picking on a few players for a slow start.

When Lucroy starts hitting, the Rangers will play him most days.
I don't think the Rangers care about his contract. If wanting to re-sign Lucroy, they had their chance during the off season.
What will be interesting is to see if the Rangers deal him at the deadline.
It would be the second year in a row that Lucroy would be in a deadline deal.