Odds And Ends: Fassero, Hansen, Petco

I have said it before, I will say it again.

In 3 years time, Craig Hansen will either be one of the most dominant relievers in the game of baseball, or so far off the radar, everyone has forgotten who he is.

Nothing in between.

Umm, what? He can't be an average reliever? That is so stupid. If he regains is slider but not his command, why couldn't he be a decent 6 or 7th inning guy. If Jeff Fassero is making a comeback Hansen could be anything.

What is sleep apnea?

Definition: Sleep apnea occurs when you regularly stop breathing for 10 seconds or longer during sleep. It can be mild, moderate, or severe, depending on the number of times in an hour that your breathing stops. Hansen's surgery would indicate that a blockage is thought to be the problem in his case.

It is odd that it can be viewed as the cause of a pitchers' bad ERA. But stranger things have happened.

Sleep apnea isn't the direct explanation for his performance. The possibility of fatigue and exhaustion brought about by the sleep apnea is the explanation. If you think about how worn down a pitcher can get into the later part of a season and the affect it has on his control and speed (think Okajima) you'll see how those two factors can be important. If they are brought on by sleep apnea then yes, it is no joke.

"There's really no baseball to talk about, is there?"

Hey, Hansen was a 1st-round pick (26th overall) just a couple years ago. He was supposed to be the Red Sox closer by now. He's been shockingly worse than expected; he's worthy of talking about.

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Jeff Fassero is 45 years old... did he piss away every cent he ever made? Why is he pitching in the Mexican league? Why in the hell are the Mets interested? So bizarre on so many levels.

Posted by: TrueCubsFan | December 09, 2007 at 05:53 PM "

In case you haven't noticed, the Mets are 'interested' in EVERY pitcher out there. I think it's just them doing their homework. I'd be suprised if a signing came out of this, and if one does it'll likely be a low risk minor league deal where he'd have to earn his way onto a roster.

Pretty sure Jesse Orasco just rose up out of his grave with a smile on his face......

The 3rd biggest payroll in baseball and the best we can do is entertain thoughts of a Jeff Fassero comeback? I'm really starting to lose faith as a Mets fan. Something substantial needs to happen in the coming months. I don't care if it's a Santana trade, swiping Dontrelle Willis (who WILL rebound) from the Tigers, or whatever, but the paying fan who watched that humiliating season-ending loss to the Marlins is not going to be inspired by a Jeff Fassero comeback.

Blaming Hansen's suckitude on his sleep apnea really just highlights how awful he's been as a prospect (both in the bigs and in the minors). The Red Sox touted him as their next closer (you heard plenty of "When Papelbon is back in the rotation, this kid will take over") and people KILLED the Yankees for not taking him, since he was a local product (Bill Madden moaned about it for ages and ages). Listen, baseball is tough on the body, but this seems a more likely excuse for someone with a normal job -- like, say, a construction worker or driver. People who have to drag ass out of bed at five and get to work at six. It's not like Hansen doesn't have ample time to rest before playing ball. Apnea isn't insomnia. And he also seems to be fully pepped up and willing to play videogames. My guess is that he was just an overhyped prospect who in reality never had a 96-mph fastball or a slider he could throw for strikes.

"Blaming Hansen's suckitude on his sleep apnea really just highlights how awful he's been as a prospect (both in the bigs and in the minors). The Red Sox touted him as their next closer (you heard plenty of "When Papelbon is back in the rotation, this kid will take over") and people KILLED the Yankees for not taking him, since he was a local product (Bill Madden moaned about it for ages and ages). Listen, baseball is tough on the body, but this seems a more likely excuse for someone with a normal job -- like, say, a construction worker or driver. People who have to drag ass out of bed at five and get to work at six. It's not like Hansen doesn't have ample time to rest before playing ball. Apnea isn't insomnia. And he also seems to be fully pepped up and willing to play videogames. My guess is that he was just an overhyped prospect who in reality never had a 96-mph fastball or a slider he could throw for strikes."

Dude, it is a very reasonable cause of his inconsistient performance. How about we see what he can do next year with the improvements from the surgery? Do not hate on the guy for trying to get his life better by removing a pretty serious problem. There are times when sleep apnea does play a big role in wearing you down and making you tired, especially as an athlete. How about you make sure you have your facts straight about just how much this problem affect hansen's life before you blast the guy for no good reason. Get a clue man.

They don't need anything from Hansen right now anyway, so he's irrelevant. Okajima, Delcarmen, Timlin and Papelbon are the bullpen.

If we sign Fassero, I might have to quit being a Mets fan.

thats a grt response bravesbeast. thanks for sharing.

bravesbeast,

ur a lovely person. keep up the good work.